Throughout the four decades Kirk and Eva spent together, they maintained autonomous art practices and identities. By nature, they contrasted each other not just in temperament, but in their processes and aesthetics as well. Kwong’s ceramics are contemplative and elegant, while Mangus’ dynamic and rough-hewn. However, they share an affinity for the bold, the vivid, and the corporeal.
Eva Kwong’s sculptures refer to the dualities of east/west that mirror her bi-cultural upbringing, and the tension between male/female, open/closed, empty/full, and dark/light. Her repertoire of color and form is derived from the stained images of electron microscope slides, observations of organic lifeforms and her own bodily experiences. Her compelling ceramics, both large and small, interconnect as installations that express an awareness of the sensations and energy in our living bodies.
Kirk Mangus’ vessels and sculptures emphasize the mark of his hand: the squishing, pulling, and carving create the potent energy of his work. He drew from a variety of influences: from comics to cave paintings, Greek and Roman history, modernist abstraction to West Coast 1970s Funk, Goya, German Expressionists, Chinese ink paintings, and Japanese woodblock prints. Most evident was his affection for traditions as varied as American folk pottery, Mayan reliefs, African wood carvings, and Asian vessels. His work is internationally known for its vibrant figurative imagery, evocative humor, exuberant storytelling, and experimental glazing techniques.
Carl Solway Gallery will be hosting concurrent exhibitions featuring emerging ceramicists throughout our building:
#CRIPCLAY – 1st Floor
#CripClay is an exhibition of disabled artists by disabled artists. We are not here to be an inspiration, to showcase how much we’ve overcome, or to be asked what’s wrong with us. We are here to be recognized and acknowledged. The world is currently in an ongoing pandemic in which disabled lives have been treated as disposable for the sake of comfort. Add to that many of our spaces remain inaccessible, whether they are not suitable for mobility devices or service animals, openly hostile or disrespectful of disabled individuals, or simply lacking experience with making accommodations despite a desire to be welcoming. It’s time for that to change. Social media and the internet have leveled the playing field for disabled activism, the winds of change are blowing, the tide is changing. Disability does not mean an artist cannot be successful or a valuable member of a community; this is not a one size fits all abled-bodies only medium. Disability is the only minority group that anyone can join at any time. Let’s show what we can do.
Sara Alfieri
Victoria Walton
Stone Anderson
Amanda Barr
Madeline Brodt
Annie Campbell
Kat Chudy
Hayley Cranberry Small
Chris Drobnock
Allee Etheridge
Francisco Echo Eraso
Alexis Fagan
Charlie Fitz
Tina Gebhart
Felicity Jacques
Sarah Julig
Cyan Marie
Heidi McKenzie
Lindsay Miller
Kayla O'Riley
Yinka Orifidaya
Cheri Owen
Finn Park
Elizabeth Peña
Eva Polzer
Coco Raymond
Carly Riegger
Katie Stone
Allium Sunshine
Ze Treasure Troll
Alicia van de Bor
Zys West
Megan Whestine
Sam Wickman
Bea Williamsen
BEYOND THE WAVES OF TRADITION – 3rd Floor
The exhibition assembles a contemporary register of artists, with a focus on the diversity of styles, personal attitudes and philosophies regarding media, the point of divergence being a shared heritage from Ghana. The diversity of cultural backgrounds from within the same country is presented by the artists, while tapping into the widely recognized traditions of pottery practice on the continent of Africa. The exhibition presents a critical transition to the current era, fashioned by the influences of education and global citizenship.
Teddy Osei
Michael Dika
Eugene Ofori Agyei
Japheth Asiedu-Kwarteng
Ernest Aryee
CURRENTS & CHARGES: CERAMIC WORK FROM IU BLOOMINGTON – 3rd Floor
Featuring the work of current students and faculty at Indiana University Bloomington, this exhibition builds on IU’s legacy of ceramic education and influence in the Midwest region.
Malcolm Mobutu Smith
Tim Mather
Chase Gamblin
Mary Roberts
Thomas Connery
Joel Pisowicz
Ze Treasure Troll
Michelle Solorzano
Brady Fanning
OBSCENE – 3rd Floor
"Obscene" is an NCECA concurrent exhibition that brings together a diverse range of perspectives from all across gender identities and sexual orientations to address various aspects of sexuality, such as coitus, kink, erotica, procreation, and body positivity, all expressed in ceramics. "Obscene" offers vulnerability and invites acceptance of the beautiful variety of forms our human intimacy takes, questioning the boundaries of propriety.
Cate Be
Jason Briggs
Marcel Deolazo
Allee Etheridge
Isabella Hackerman
Wesley Harvey
Amy Henson
Mac McCusker
Isabela Muñoz
Virgil Ortiz
Jamie Bates Slone
