“I think of my pieces as life forms that are in the process of transforming in ways that may be both wonderful and strange,” says artist Janny Baek, whose otherworldly ceramics (beforehand) merge vibrant coloration, eclectic motifs, and botanical particulars.
“I’ve been incorporating blooming flowers and puffy clouds into my work to think about our intimate and complicated relationship to the natural world,” the artist tells Colossal. “Changes in shape and color imply tendencies, possibilities, desire. Familiar forms, like the open vessel, plant forms, and heads, are a way for me to connect to the lineage of making and hand-building with clay.”
Baek explores the connection between nature, science fiction, and fantasy in her sculptures, which are sometimes round a foot tall and broad however generally attain as much as 20 inches excessive. Some sprout coral-like appendages or seem to face on 4 legs.
The artist has targeted on coloured porcelain utilizing the nerikomi approach, during which a number of pigmented clays mix to create a marbling or patterned impact. Baek just lately started working with rougher, sandy stoneware, which affords extra freedom to scale up in dimension and complexity.
“I love to have the freedom to incorporate different materials and ways of making when it fits the work,” Baek says. “Even if I shift materials or techniques, I’m always drawing from the main foundational ideas that drive my work.”
“Walking Cloudbloom” is included within the Korean Worldwide Ceramics Biennale exhibit on the Gyeonggi Museum of Ceramic Design in South Korea. She can be working towards a three-person present at ArtYard in Frenchtown, New Jersey, scheduled to open in February. Discover extra on Baek’s web site and Instagram.
