WARES! Extraordinary Ceramics and the Ordinary Home

About

Earthenware. Stoneware. Kitchenware. Homeware. From ancient pottery for cooking and storage to modern decorative objects adorning the home, ceramics have long been important to a long history in domestic settings. This exhibition adds a contemporary twist to this association, with objects that signal an irreverent or even zany approach to the medium. Robert Arneson’s Case of Bottles mimics factory-made glass soda bottles but adds a wonky, hand-made feel. Beatrice Wood’s miniatures of a newly married couple playfully hint that their domestic harmony might not last. Woody De Othello’s fusion of household objects with body parts shows the emotions that are latent in home-life. Seth Bogart’s exaggerated forms and vibrant colors engender a sense of camp and whimsy. These alterations draw the ordinary—bottles, chairs, and bites of food—into the extraordinary, prompting us to reevaluate our relationship with the things we encounter in our homes every day.