Contemporary Ceramics

Ceramics are experiencing a renaissance in the contemporary art and design worlds, as curators and critics continue to showcase innovations in clay. In 2014 alone, the Whitney Biennial featured ceramicists Sterling Ruby and Shio Kusaka, the gallery Venus Over Manhattan curated a survey of contemporary clay, and the art fairs Art Basel and Frieze presented pots by Dan McCarthy and Takuro Kuwata, among others. Japanese and Korean contemporary ceramicists draw on centuries-old techniques to create purely sculptural forms, such as those of Sueharu Fukami, as well as functional vessels, such as Jang Jin’s minimal creations. Other highlights in contemporary ceramics include the bright whimsical sculptures of Betty Woodman and Peter Shire, and the slab-based constructions of Cody Hoyt and Bruce M. Sherman. Whether slip-casting, hand-throwing, coiling, or pinching clay, these ceramicists all demonstrate that a 2,000-year-old medium can be progressive, challenging, and in some cases avant-garde.