INNOVATION AND PASSION

KIRK MANGUS AND EVA KWONG

March 17 - April 21, 2023

Carl Solway Gallery presents Innovation and Passion: Kirk Mangus and Eva Kwong as part of the 2023 National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts Conference. This exhibition will highlight two distinctive practices through an exploration of the artists’ idiosyncratic yet complementary styles.

Kirk Mangus, Dog Boy and Cat Girl

wood-fired local stoneware

Dog Boy: 33 x 18 x 18 inches (84 x 46 x 46 cm),

Cat Girl: 29 x 18 x 18 inches (73.6 x 46 x 46 cm)

Eva Kwong, Passion Fruit, 1988

stoneware, colored slips, and salt-glaze

47 x 19 x 12 inches (119.4 x 48 x 30.5 cm)

Opening reception for all exhibitions in the Solway building:

Friday, March 17, 5 - 10 PM

Open hours during NCECA Conference:

Innovation and Passion on view:

Tues, 3/14 – Thurs, 3/16: 10 – 5 PM

Fri, 3/17: 10 – 10 PM

Sat, 3/18: 10 - 5 PM

Sun, 3/19: 10 - 3 PM

All concurrent exhibitions on view:

Weds, 3/15 – Thurs, 3/16: 10 - 5 PM

Fri, 3/17: 5 – 10 PM

Sat, 3/18: 10 – 5 PM

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

This exhibition showcases the variety of talents and skills of many disabled artists working with clay. Organized by Amanda Barr, #Cripclay features work by Victoria Walton, Carly Riegger, Amanda Barr, Heidi McKenzie, Eva Polzer, Darcy Delgado, Ze Treasure Troll, Annie B Campbell, Allee Etheridge, Megan Whetstine, and others.

BEYOND THE WAVES OF TRADITION – 3rd Floor

This exhibition explores tradition through dialogue, interactions, interventions, and expressions beyond the material culture of ceramics from the Ghanaian context. Organized by Ernest Aryee, Beyond the Waves of Tradition Fred Okai, Michael Dika, Eugene Ofori Agyei, Japheth Asiedu-Kwarteng, and 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. Organized by Malcolm Mobutu Smith and Chase Gamblin, Currents and Charges includes Malcolm Mobutu Smith, Tim Mather, Chase Gamblin, Mary Roberts, Thomas Connery, Joel Pisowicz, Ze Treasure Troll, Michelle Solorzano, Brady Fanning, and others.

OBSCENE – 3rd Floor

This exhibition investigates the many forms of human intimacy and questions the boundaries of propriety. Organized by Allee Etheridge and Amy Henson, Obscene includes Cate Be, Jason Briggs, Joey Chiarello, Marcel Deolazo, Allee Etheridge, Isabella Rose Hackerman, Wesley Harvey, Amy Henson, Mac McCusker, Isabela Muñoz, Virgil Ortiz, Jamie Bates Slone, and Maya Vivas.