Artist Bio & Statement
CV
My Friends <3
2025
2024
This piece is comprised of two-hundred and thirty-six ceramic tiles, each with a quill-like spine, and frilled edges and center “stamps” that contain my thumbprint from molding the clay. Then hammered to a wall, one by one, they come together to resemble a wall of self-defenses.
This piece was originally intended to be a full-size blanket, every tile held together with leather thread. I chose brown and black raw clay bodies to imitate the patterns of a quilt and to highlight my fingerprints throughout the process. I drilled holes into every corner of each tile and, after firing, sewed them together with traditional stitching. It was meant to serve as a blanket—a shield from the harsh realities of the world. However, when it was time to install it, the threads couldn’t hold the weight of the ceramic (totaling around 70 pounds), and they began to snap.
I had to pivot. My original idea wasn’t going to work, and it needed to be installed in the next two days. I decided I would have to cut the threads and nail each tile into the wall, one by one. (which took 10 hours)
As I sat there cutting the structure I had spent hours, upon hours sewing together, I saw the irony in my plan not working. This piece was about building up walls to protect yourself. Hiding works short-term, but eventually you realize that too many walls keep light out and darkness in. This piece is a monument to the work it takes to break down these internal boundaries. Each tile and every fingerprint marks the extensive time and repetitive effort of building up walls and tearing them down, to enjoy the world through lightness and darkness.
Sanctuary
L x W x H : 54 x 4 x 61”
Handbuilt stoneware, nails
Photo credits : Alyse Arauz