by Carole Epp | Feb 23, 2014 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
Artist Statement:
People make us happy but also angry and disappointed. People are curious but also foolish. We never seem to learn, despite knowing deep down that we’ve taken others for granted and knowing that we shouldn’t have.
Mayumi’s work deals with our emotions, relationships and everyday-life and incidents with a twist and a hint of humour. Why doesn’t humanity learn from mistakes of the past? Why is it that we create things of beauty but we also destroy them? Why is humanity so “wonderful”? She plays with these questions and creates ceramic sculpture inspired by what we do, what we are and how we live.
She aims to create a fusion between man-made and natural forms and objects in her interpretation of humanity. By adding tiny human figures to these forms, Mayumi’s work offers a unique perspective on humanity:
‘Without the small figures, my work might be just an object but as soon as I put teeny tiny people onto the piece, it starts to tell a story itself. I enjoy playing with it and have been fascinated with how the tiny thing affects whole piece.’
Mayumi’s work is narrative but doesn’t always tell the whole story allowing the audience to project their emotions and ideas into the work and to interpret them in their own way.
‘I’m not trying to shake people’s shoulders and tell them that we should appreciate each other more. My work is nothing like as “noble” as that. I just want to see how the audience interacts with my pieces and how they make up their own stories and how they often seem to giggle. That’s all I want.’
www.mayumi-yamashita.com
by Carole Epp | Feb 22, 2014 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
“The
inspiration for my work comes from food presentation. People go to great lengths to present their
meals in an eloquent manner, and my work serves to aid in their presentation
through the form, function, and surface treatment of my wares. I reference specific
foods when creating my functional vessels, and I work to create a form that
will compliment that meal to its fullest potential. My ceramic vessels are based on traditional
forms, but as the designer, I am able to alter them in ways I think will enhance
their functionality. I further the idea
of presentation in my work by finishing the pieces with colors and patterns
that will compliment the food being served with them.”
www.calebzouhary.com
by Carole Epp | Feb 16, 2014 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
artist statement:
As human beings we are innately social and
communal. We seek each other out, interact with one another, and respond to
both our environment and each other. Our
relatives, friends and the people we interact with on a daily basis are all
part of the social unit that shapes our environment.
I was born
and raised in Venezuela and from a very young age my family often traveled
within and outside of our home country. At the age of nine my family members
began moving to the United States a few at a time, where we were completely
submerged into a different culture. During the move, some family members moved
back and forth between Venezuela and the US , creating a flux of family members
in our household. My exposure from a young age to change in my surroundings,
family and home arouse my interest in
the ideals of family and community.
In
my ceramic work, each piece is a
community. The high relief areas represent the environment, the driving force
in the community. Each carved line is an individual within the community, interacting with one another, responding to
both the environment and each other. Together the lines create units. Units
coming together to create a whole.
