Merging disparate reference factors like cartoonish figures, fluorescent pigments, and classical vessels, Maxwell Mustardo’s Anthropophorae and Gadroons glow with character. The New Jersey-based artist (beforehand) continues to revisit historical types which were endlessly studied and reimagined over subsequent centuries, like amphorae, kraters, and gadrooning that commemorate tapered shapes.
“Searching for new forms is mostly rediscovering old forms,” Mustardo tells Colossal. “One of my favorite aspects of ceramics, and the crafts more broadly, is the evolution of surfaces and forms through their constant appropriation in the aggressive exchange that occurs between individuals, studios, cultures, and time periods.”
The artist typically turns to archetypes, from mugs and bottles to mathematical shapes—just like the torus—to discover myriad relationships between geometry, materials, historical past, and utility. He provides, “Each form provides various constraints that I can push around against and a web of references to tangle with.”
Mustardo is at present working within the studio of the late Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011), serving to the artist’s basis to determine a residency program for ceramists, fiber artists, and painters. Discover extra on his web site.
