Collecting ceramics has long been sequestered to the worlds of Wedgewood and Worcester, but there's a new and evolving chapter when it comes to contemporary work according to specialist dealer Leslie Ferrin, whose 'Glazed & Diffused' exhibition is now up at her Ferrin Contemporary gallery on the MASS MoCA campus in North Adams, Massachusetts. We sat down with Ferrin to learn how this specific corner of the artworld is shifting...
Wallpaper*: How are ceramics changing?
Leslie Ferrin: What's happening today is that contemporary ceramics are no longer relegated to mere craft by a long shot.
Yes, Picasso turned to clay – how are contemporary artists embracing that ancient medium?
They are crossing over into painting, sculpture and design. Robert Silverman's complex wall installations encompass photographs printed on vinyl wallpaper and wood structures with glazed tile in brilliant chartreuse to searing orange.
With artists breaking new barriers, what has been the effect on collecting?
Collectors who come from the hipster art world, with the likes of Gerhard Richter and Damien Hirst among their holdings, are suddenly zeroing in on Ron Nagle, who is the only ceramic artist to be honoured by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His 1990 Incense Burner, with its deeply perturbing sense of mystery, is highly prized.
To what degree are these artists garnering placement in the hallowed halls of the museums?
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, along with San Francisco's de Young museum, all now have substantial collections and regularly integrate sculptural clay in their contemporary art galleries. That's just happened in the past ten years.
What are prices like these days?
With the number of collectors growing exponentially so too have prices. Viola Frey and Ken Price command upwards of $100,000 but there's a host of artists whose price tags hover in the four figures.
What artists should we be watching?
Lauren Mabry, who was just granted the coveted Pew Fellowship. Then bound to further gain acclaim is Raymon Elozua, who turns to Clyfford Still paintings for inspiration. With Martin Margulies and Malcolm Forbes already owning his work, others are set to follow suit.
Ferrin is a specialist ceramics dealer who sees a new and evolving chapter in contemporary ceramic work
Untitled Platter by Jun Kaneko, 1982.
R&D I: Re-9-1a by Raymon Elozua, 2014.
Fierce Passenger by Linda Sormin, 2015.
S.D.I. Eleventh Hour by Ron Nagle, 1989.
Tirana (Inspired by Rama) (Installation) by Robert Silverman, 2015.
Planter by Elizabeth Woodman. Date unknown
Vase Green by George Ohr, 1910.
Incense Burner by Ron Nagle, 1990–1991.
Donut Madness by Jae Yong Kim, 2012–2015.
Left: Untitled Form #53m by Toshiko Takaezu, 1990. Right: Blue Chalice by Beatrice Wood, 1985–1988.
Spilling Pipe by Lauren Mabry, 2015.
Ferrin says: 'What's happening today is that contemporary ceramics are no longer relegated to mere craft by a long shot...'
'... They are crossing over into painting, sculpture and design'
Dark Orange Rectangle by Peter Christian Johnson, 2015.
'Glazed & Diffused' is on show until 18 August. Pictured: Vessels by Peter Pincus, 2015.
ADDRESS
Ferrin Contemporary
1315 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, Mass. 01247
-
'I wanted to create an object that invited you to interact': Tej Chauhan on his Rado watch designDiastar Original which Rado first released in 1962 has become synonymous with elegant comfort and effortless display of taste. Tej Chauhan reconsiders its signature silhouette and texture on the intersection of innovation and heritage
-
High in the Giant Mountains, this new chalet by edit! architects is perfect for snowy sojournsIn the Czech Republic, Na Kukačkách is an elegant upgrade of the region's traditional chalet typology
-
'It offers us an escape, a route out of our own heads' – Adam Nathaniel Furman on public artWe talk to Adam Nathaniel Furman on art in the public realm – and the important role of vibrancy, colour and the power of permanence in our urban environment
-
Sculptor Woody Othello paints a Miami museum red for a show that ‘almost hugs you’The Miami-born, California-based artist opens his first museum exhibition in his hometown as an experiential journey through life and lifeless objects
-
'We need to be constantly reminded of our similarities' – Jonathan Baldock challenges the patriarchal roots of a former Roman temple in LondonThrough use of ceramics and textiles, British artist Jonathan Baldock creates a magical and immersive exhibition at ‘0.1%’ at London's Mithraum Bloomberg Space
-
Genesis Belanger is seduced by the real and the fake in LondonSculptor Genesis Belanger’s solo show, ‘In the Right Conditions We Are Indistinguishable’, is open at Pace, London
-
Japanese ceramicist Eriko Inazaki wins 2023 Loewe Foundation Craft PrizeEriko Inazaki has been awarded the 2023 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize for her intricate ceramic work in a ceremony held at New York’s Noguchi Museum
-
Janny Baek’s psychedelic ceramics are objects in fluxKorean-American architect and sculptor Janny Baek speaks about expressing ‘vibrancy, pleasure, and hope’ through her vivid ceramics, ahead of a major show at Culture Object, New York (on view until 20 May 2023)
-
Paola Paronetto’s vibrant collaboration with Veuve Clicquot puts a new spin on the bottleCeramic artist Paola Paronetto's take on packaging for Veuve Clicquot is a multi-hued marvel. We visit the artist in her Porcia studio to discuss the collection of six gift boxes and limited-edition artwork
-
Ceramic artists: top trail-glazers breaking the mouldA way with clay: discover the contemporary ceramic artists firing up a new age for the medium
-
Theaster Gates’ New Museum exhibition meditates on mourning, materials and communityTheaster Gates talks about his first US museum show, ‘Young Lords and Their Traces’ at The New Museum (until 5 February 2023), a moving homage to the creative forces who came before
