FAMILY AFFAIR: Sergei Isupov, Kadri Pärnamets, and Roosi Isupov
April 25 through May 25, 2015
Independent Art Projects on the MASS MoCA campus in North Adams, MA
Family Affair features painted porcelain sculptures created by Sergei Isupov and Kadri Pärnamets and their daughter, Roosi Isupov. This collection of artwork was produced during their recent seven-month residence at Project Art in Cummington, MA.
Mara Superior, “Ornithology” 2011.
A PORCELAIN MENAGERIE
a solo show of work by Mara Superior
features painted porcelain platters, teapots and sculptures celebrating the beauty and fragility of the animal world. Co-curated by Dana Salvo and Leslie Ferrin.
Clark Gallery, Lincoln, Mass
March 10–29, 2015
Click here to view or download press release.
Mara Superior is known for her contemporary porcelain that uses imagery and form to convey theories of beauty and subtle social commentary. Her choice of porcelain, a medium known for its fragile beauty, is analogous to the nature of the subject of the work in this show — this planet with its diverse environments, the flora and fauna, and the delicate balance that holds them all. Using various forms of plates and constructed forms of teapots and tile relief, Superior creates commemoratives that deliver a message to preserve and appreciate our living world. They are a plea for attention to a world out of control. Porcelain and nature are fragile, breakable, and need careful handling to survive. “Wake up people! Preserve your planet!”
Mara Superior is represented by Ferrin Contemporary.
Click here to see available work.
“Sergei Isupov’s Surreal Ceramics Combine Paintings with Sculpture” by Anna Carey in Hi Fructose, The New Contemporary Art Magazine.
“Russian-born artist Sergei Isupov investigates binaries in human relationships — male and female, good and evil, beautiful and grotesque. Using clay as both a material for three-dimensional expression and as a canvas for his illustrations, Isupov capitalizes on all properties of what he finds to be the most open medium. He sculpts human and animal figures, and then adds illustrations in glaze. The paintings diffuse into the clay’s surface, like tattoos on his sculptures’ skin. Taken together, the two- and three-dimensional elements of his work establish a compacted but powerful scene of emotions and narratives.”
Published by the Society of Contemporary Craft in conjunction with his exhibition “Bridge 13: Jason Walker.”
The brochure includes biographical information, images, and an essay by William L. Fox.
“A growing number of artists tread warily along the boundaries of culture and nature as the human footprint becomes increasingly obvious and inescapable, and the ironies multiply. … Walker’s work is a form of public prayer for our safety and preservation. How fortunate and useful it is that the sculptures are also beautiful.” — William L. Fox, Director of the Center for Art + Environment, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada
Click here to view Bridge 13: Jason Walker
Ferrin Contemporary spent eight days in New York for the NY Ceramics & Glass Fair in late January. There, we presented two exhibitions: MADE IN CHINA: The New Export Ware and Selected Work from Current Projects, featuring work by 18 artists from around the world.
Visitors and the NY press were surprised and delighted with their discovery of the contemporary ceramics at the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair and spread the word about contemporary clay throughout the worlds of art and design. Here some of the highlights, along with links to read more.
Paul Scott, “Paul Scott, “Cumbrian Blue(s), American Scenery, Fracked No. 2″ 2013, inglaze decal collage, gold luster on ironstone platter (c.1860?), 8.5 x 1”.
Browsing at Metro Curates and the Ceramics and Glass Fair
by William Grimes
“A number of contemporary artists disturb the polite atmosphere of British tea sets and Chinese export pottery. Paul Scott, an English artist at Ferrin Contemporary, has updated English transferware, with its romantic evocations of American scenes, in the rudest possible way. ‘Turnpike No. 3,’ a rectangular tray showing a toll plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike, is one of a series devoted to such heartwarming sights as the Indian Point nuclear plant and a fracking derrick,” Grimes observed in his unabashed review of the oddities at two NY shows.
Paul Scott, “Cumbrian Blue(s), Willow Italian” 2014, Staffordshire transferware collage, gold leaf, tile cement, epoxy resin, 15 x 11″.
The New York Observer
Breaking the Mold
by Brook Mason
“Few slices of the art market have changed as radically, or, surprisingly, have been taken more seriously, in the past few years as the ever-so-sleepy ceramics and glass sector. … When it comes to contemporary ceramics, some dealers said, there’s a shift going on in terms of validity in the eyes of museums. ‘Glance back two decades only a handful of museums were incorporating such work in their holdings,’ said Massachusetts dealer Leslie Ferrin.”
Vipoo Srivilasa, “The Patience Flower” 2014, Jingdezhen super white porcelain, 10 x 6.6″.
Blouin Art Info
by Darryl Wee
In his review of our show “MADE IN CHINA, Darryl Wee observes, “Whereas traditional ‘export ware’ used to be adorned with European ideas and subjects…, Ferrin notes that this notion of cultural export has shifted somewhat in recent years due to internationally networked and cosmopolitan artists who produce their pieces at Jingdezhen Pottery Workshop while gaining exposure primarily in Western markets halfway around the world.”
Mara Superior, “Wounded Beauty” 2014, porcelain, cobalt, glaze, gold luster, metal wire, 12 x 15 x 5.5″.
Past Imperfect: The Art of Inventive Repair
by Andrew Baseman
Friend and blogger Andrew Baseman focused attention on contemporary ceramic “make-dos” including Paul Scott’s, Mara Superior’s, and Frances Palmer’s mended works. “It was heartening for me to see so many examples of antique and contemporary ceramics with inventive repair in such a prestigious venue. It gives me hope that beauty in imperfection is now being embraced by more artists, dealers and collectors than ever before.”
Sin-ying Ho, “9.28.2014 Hong Kong” 2014, porcelain, cobalt, decal, terra sigillata, 23 x 12 x 15.5″.
DXV American Standard
by Lynn Byrne
In her design blog, Byrne admitted, “I know very little about ceramics and glass. There. I have said it right up front. But I like to think I have a certain radar for the artistically innovative, and one place where I did not expect to see it was during my inaugural visit last week to the annual New York Ceramics and Glass Fair. But I was wrong. Very wrong. Talk about cool—it was there in abundance.
“By far my favorite was the artists represented by Ferrin Contemporary. Leslie Ferrin had two booths at the fair and each was filled with edgy, thought-provoking pieces.”
The cover of Paul Scott’s new book, “Horizons: Transferware and Contemporary Ceramics” Visitors were entertained by talks and presentations made by Ferrin Contemporary’s Paul Scott, Garth Johnson, Robert Silverman, Sing-ying Ho, and Leslie Ferrin. Kurt Weiser, “Albion” 2014, china painted porcelain, 26.5 x 18″. Visit our Press Coverage webpage for more links to fair coverage as well as articles and reviews about other curated projects with work by artists represented by Ferrin Contemporary. Read more coverage on the fair on: Ferrin Contemporary presented two exhibitions at the fair: “MADE IN CHINA: The New Export Ware” and “Selected Work from Current Projects,” featuring work by 18 artists from around the world. In addition to the media blitz, sales were brisk and commissions are still coming in. Click here to see more available work. Follow along as director Leslie Ferrin documents the objects, people, and experiences related to the many projects under the purview of Ferrin Contemporary. Leslie’s first-person coverage provides a subjective overview of the scene (and seen) along the path of her travels. Click on the links below to follow along:
Lectures and Book Launch at the Fair
NCECA sponsored a day of modern lectures there for the first time.
It was standing room only for Paul Scott’s lecture. Afterwards, the audience followed Scott to a book signing for the newly published Horizon: Transferware and Contemporary Ceramics. Scott’s ironic commentary on landscape drew media attention with his “American Scenery” series featured at the fair.
Wait, there’s more
CFile
AsiainNY
The China Press
NY Social Diary
SOLD! Still available?
Or inquire about currently available artworks presented at the fair.
#ferrincontemporaryontheroad
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Jeremy Buben of SeattleMet, takes the reader on an insightful tour of the solo exhibition “Jason Walker: On the River, Down the Road” on exhibit at the Bellevue Arts Museum in Bellevue, WA from October 3, 2014 to March 1, 2015.
Click here to read the article.
Jason Walker is represented by Ferrin Contemporary.
Click here to view his recent and available work.
Click here to find out more about the exhibition.
Click here to inquire about purchasing his work.
Walking the land and future studio sites with artists Garth Weiser and Francesca DiMatteo on the occasion of a dinner with Padre – Madre [Christy & Kurt Weiser] in upstate NY – Kurt’s ewer /teapot form “Wildfall” is at Red Star Studios, Kansas City opening June 7th.
Walking the land and future studio sites with Garth Weiser and Francesca DiMatteo on the occasion of a dinner with Padre – Madre [Christy & Kurt Weiser] in upstate NY – Kurt’s Cubist Vases are on view through July 14 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in New Blue and White.
Emily Zilber, curator and Mark Cooper, artist , listening to Thomas Michie – about newly reinstalled Dutch rooms in context of New Blue and White, MFA Boston through July 14. His site specific work is one of the nearly 40 artists, designers and collaborators who are showing recent works in ceramic, glass and mixed media. #newblueandwhite meets #oldblueandwhite at #mfa #boston with #markcooper (at Museum of Fine Arts)
Emily Zilber, curator and Mark Cooper, artist – in conversation about his recent installation New Blue and White, MFA Boston through July 14. His site specific work is one of the nearly 40 artists, designers and collaborators who are showing recent works in ceramic, glass and mixed media.
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