This Dream of Flesh

I aim to reframe imperfect bodies through the abstraction and fragmentation of the figure in a series of large figurative ceramic sculptures. The series This dream of flesh depicts bodily forms that are often rejected by mainstream Western culture and renders them in seductive pastel-coloured satin glaze. I hope to affect conflicting emotions in the viewer and thus encourage prolonged looking and, ultimately, a reconsideration of the marginalised flawed body. Emphasising the pinch marks produced when hand-building in clay leaves a tangible impression of the body on the surface of the work, as well as mimicking puckered and pock-marked skin. Dark negative space beneath the forms leaves the underside unseen, suggesting private spaces that are mysterious and erotic.