“Earthen Delights” Exhibition

C24 Gallery

This event has ended.

Earthen Delights, the newest group exhibition at C24 Gallery, features innovative ceramic work by an international collection of artists — Hinrich Kröger, Steven Montgomery and Brendan Lee Satish Tang.

Working in one of the oldest mediums in the world, these three artists have each built on time honored traditions in developing their unique approach to the ceramic artform, in particular, the vases and other “utilitarian” items on display in this collection. For their versions of the vessels essential to our existence, they have blended elements of contemporary iconography with the craft of pottery to create sumptuous, decadent, transhistorical works of art.

Hinrich Kröger’s ornately styled vases, plates, teacups and bowls are reminiscent of classical pottery forms, but with a distinctly punk esthetic. Decorated with images ranging from nude figures to pug dogs, these ceramic pieces connect the homo-erotic legacy of Greco-Roman art to modern day fetish culture. A professional potter from an artistic family, Kröger thinks of himself as a craftsman first, but he has drawn from a wide array of modern cultural influences to develop the decidedly transgressive body of work he displays in his Berlin atelier.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Steven Montgomery describes himself as having, “…an affinity for the esthetics of damage, destruction or any evidence of the passage of time.” His earthenware creations pay homage to the once thriving industrial capital, its degradation and subsequent resurgence. Incorporating elements that honor the regality of Detroit’s auto industry and its machinery and recognize its more recent issues with the safety of its water supply, Montgomery creates vessels that look more like futuristic Bronze Age sculptures than pottery.

In his series, Manga Ormolu, Brendan Lee Satish Tang explores the cultural hybridization informed by his personal history as an ethnically-mixed Asian Canadian. In a futuristic update of the 18th century French practice of gilded ormolu, Tang has created a mashup of traditional Chinese Ming dynasty vessels and robotic prosthetics inspired by Japanese manga and anime. The series offers multiple points of entry into a sociocultural dialogue about fantasy and transcendence amidst the evolving Western experience of Asian culture.

Earthen Delights celebrates the transformational artform of ceramics with an offbeat blend of sensuality, humor and cultural provocation.