Crimson Tide – Soft Times Gallery, San Francisco
2022
This was the first piece that I presented in a gallery; I started working with ceramics in 2016, but all those years I mainly focused on making utilitarian pieces and small sculptures for myself, for a long time I had the desire to start pursuing an art career but it wasn’t until 2021 that I finally decided to start making sculptures intentionally and looking for spaces to show my work.
This piece symbolizes that shift in focus from a design career to an artistic one. For the main body of this piece, I threw a vase (utilitarian object) to later deform and destroy it to transform it into a piece of art; the dying flowers symbolize the passing of time and serve as a reminder to start working on what we want and desire.
What is considered art? – What does and utilitarian piece need to have or need to represent to be displayed in a gallery or museum? – Where is the line drawn between crafts and art and what gives it that added value? – How does the perception of the object change when it is viewed as a piece of art rather than just a tool? – How do the processes of design and production change when prioritizing artistry alongside utility? – How do people’s attitudes towards the object shift when it is considered an art piece?
