Pot Heads
A New Wave of Ceramic Artists in Los Angeles
OPENING: Thursday, October 16, 2014
Design Matters, 11527 West Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90064
Pot Heads
A New Wave of Ceramic Artists in Los Angeles
OPENING: Thursday, October 16, 2014
Design Matters, 11527 West Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90064
Design Matters is proud to present “Pot Heads: A New Wave of Ceramic Artists in Los Angeles,” a group exhibition curated by Andrea Arria-Devoe.
Pot Heads is a showcase of eight of the best ceramic artists working in Los Angeles today: Dora De Larios with Irving Place Studio, Kat & Roger, Mirena Kim, Heather Levine, Ben Medansky, Victoria Morris, Sunja Park, and Pilar Wiley.
Riding a wave of renewed popular interest in American pottery, Pot Heads highlights the common threads joining this group, dedicated to the art of hand-thrown, functional ceramics. Influences range from classic mid-century modernist forms to Japanese craftsmanship, organic glazes and hues, and a freedom of expression inspired by the California sunshine. The by-product of these influences is an accidental, thriving community of artists who echo the Los Angeles Studio Pottery Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s.
Underscoring the notion of a California clay revival is the inclusion of works by Dora De Larios, a potter who studied with Vivika and Otto Heino at USC six decades ago, and founded Irving Place Studio with Ellice Johnston in 1968. In 2012, De Larios re-launched the company with a line of simple, rustic tableware in collaboration with her daughter and son-in-law. Sabrina Judge and Aaron Glascock.
Several of the featured ceramicists have worked with Adam Silverman, Heath Ceramics’ artist-in-residence and a trailblazer in the “art” of retail ceramics. Trailing Silverman’s path, these artists find themselves in the midst of an interesting conundrum: retail versus gallery ceramics? Is there a bias? Or, can a potter be recognized as an artist while still being a business? The pieces chosen for the show are meant to be examples of this increasingly blurred line.
To complement the artists’ collective devotion to an enduring sensibility, Vitsoe will be providing a number of Dieter Rams-designed 621 Side Tables to display the ceramics. The table was first designed in 1962, and was recently re-engineered alongside Rams to satisfy the the company’s exacting standards, to be sold online at vitsoe.com and Vitsoe shops worldwide.
Japanese artist Katsuo Design created the Pot Heads logo, as well as a limited edition silk-screened poster made especially for this exhibition.
The opening reception takes place Thursday, October 16, 2014 at Design Matters Gallery. The reception is open to the public, and the exhibition will be on view through November 16.
Graphics by: Katsuo Design
DORA De Larios