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On View: Courtney Mattison’s “Our Changing Seas III” at the Tang Museum

Courtney Mattison’s ceramics are clearly inspired and motivated by the ocean — that immense, powerful and precious resource whose details are still largely hidden from us. Self-identifying as both an artist and “ocean advocate," Mattison has created massive installations, “Our Changing Seas, I-III,” that cover a bio-diverse selection of coral reef forms. Displayed in a gallery, the pieces appear to grow out of the wall, as if miraculously alive in the dry, alien atmosphere. The ceramic medium allows for remarkable ranges in color, spanning the spectrum of actual living coral to the bone-dry, matte whiteness of its dead state. Both versions are present in Mattison’s pieces, reminding us that these entities are desperately in need of preservation. "Our Changing Seas III" is currently on view at the Tang Museum at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Courtney Mattison’s ceramics are clearly inspired and motivated by the ocean — that immense, powerful and precious resource whose details are still largely hidden from us. Self-identifying as both an artist and “ocean advocate,” Mattison has created massive installations, “Our Changing Seas, I-III,” that cover a bio-diverse selection of coral reef forms. Displayed in a gallery, the pieces appear to grow out of the wall, as if miraculously alive in the dry, alien atmosphere. The ceramic medium allows for remarkable ranges in color, spanning the spectrum of actual living coral to the bone-dry, matte whiteness of its dead state. Both versions are present in Mattison’s pieces, reminding us that these entities are desperately in need of preservation. “Our Changing Seas III” is currently on view at the Tang Museum at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Photos by Arthur Evans.

Topics

ceramics, Courtney Mattison, installation, Our Changing Seas III, sculpture, Skidmore College, Tang Museum

sculpture, Tamara Kostianovsky, textiles

December 21, 2016

Tamara Kostianovsky, an Israel-born, Argentina-raised artist, uses pieces of clothing—including her own—to construct meat carcasses that recreated muscle, bone, and cartilage. Her "Actus Reus" series places these gruesome, yet engrossing creations on meat hooks. While the soft nature of the material may not recall our insides, Kostianovsky’s reproductions still unsettle in their faithfulness to butchered bodies. Her "Still Lives" series takes a similar approach, yet maintains part of the emulated exterior of animal bodies (along with grander presentation).

Sophie Prestigiacomo’s ‘Homo Algus’ Invites Swamp Creatures Out of the Wild

France, sculpture, Sophie Prestigiacomo

December 8, 2016

Sculptor Sophie Prestigiacomo reflects our ongoing and tense dialogue with nature with her swamp creatures in the Marshes Nature Reserve of Séné in the Gulf of Morbihan in France. It began with two mysterious beings a few years ago, and after they departed, a recent crowdfunding campaign to bring eight total to the reserve. Or as the campaign stated (as translated from French): “more numerous, more curious and probably convinced by the first visit of their two ambassadors, there was a relationship tie with the human species.”

Sculptures by Salvador Jiménez-Flores Explore Identity, Colonialism

Mixed Media, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, sculpture

November 29, 2017

Mexico-born artist Salvador Jiménez-Flores uses several approaches to delve into identity and the convergence of cultures. A recent project in particular, titled "The Resistance of the Hybrid Cacti," uses ceramics to look at these concepts and more. The artist says that “through art, I seek to resist the labels put upon me and other people of color by reimagining what an alternative future could look like.”

Robert Wechsler’s Multifaceted Coin Sculptures

coin, Robert Wechsler, sculpture

March 17, 2015

While we might not look back at pennies when they accidentally fall out of our pockets, Robert Wechsler invites his viewers to see them in a new light in his geometric coin sculptures. Using a die cutter for his larger pieces and a jeweler's handsaw for his smaller ones, he transforms spare change into multifaceted constructions that he meticulously puts together by hand. Cutting notches in each coin, he attaches them to build up complex patterns. Wechsler has a natural eye for geometry and creates the shapes without a preplanned model. His work is highly detailed oriented, and he has been known to take apart sculptures when a single coin is found facing the wrong way. The resulting forms resemble molecular structures or perhaps geological formations. They re-contextualize the coins entirely.

On View: Courtney Mattison’s “Our Changing Seas III” at the Tang Museum

Tamara Kostianovsky Turns Textiles Into Carcasses

Sophie Prestigiacomo’s ‘Homo Algus’ Invites Swamp Creatures Out of the Wild

Sculptures by Salvador Jiménez-Flores Explore Identity, Colonialism

Robert Wechsler’s Multifaceted Coin Sculptures

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