Onna House announces the exhibit Nature/Nurture, a group exhibition of recent work by contemporary ceramicists at the Onna House in East Hampton.
With practices based locally and internationally, these artists mold clay in unique and inventive ways—unearthing ceramics inspired by natural and spiritual environments. Nature/Nurture features artwork by Adrienne Fierman, Amy Dov, Babs Haenen, Carey Lowell, Colour Maisch, Jane Yang D’Haene, Kelly Klein, Leah Kaplan, and Nicole Corbett—each piece reflecting the artist’s nurturing hand.
Drawing inspiration from flora and fauna, Amy Dov molds organic and woven clay forms that are coated with glazes and oxides so they resemble natural elements like rocks, bones, rust, branches, and reeds. Adrienne Fierman’s rough and refined hand-built work is composed intuitively, influenced by the unique qualities of nature found in materials ranging from driftwood to seedpods and fallen leaves. Colour Maisch invites natural cycles to guide her, folding foraged vegetation into porcelain before she fires the clay and submerges each vessel in an ink bath to color the ceramic—highlighting the beauty of decay across human, animal, and plant life.
Making connections between clay and the earth’s surface, Babs Haenen’s Turbulent Vessels, made from a patchwork of porcelain, and Scholar’s Rock, influenced by stones collected in the Song Dynasty, are hybrids of geology and architecture. Kelly Klein’s charred and volcanic surface textures are achieved by exposing her clay body to open flame—each piece marked with rich coal-colored scorches. Jane Yang D’Haene’s work creates a portal between traditional ceramics from her Korean heritage and innovative surface treatments revealing stone-like textures that resemble imperfect planetary forms.
Celebrating the physical and mindful ritual of molding, Carey Lowell’s ceramic mobile, inspired by Marija Gimbutas’ writings on goddesses, and her temple-like mandalas, ornamented with flowers and birds, encourage the viewer to stop, breathe, and be present. Leah Kaplan’s translucent porcelain vessels cast an ethereal glow, applying age-old techniques of pinching, coiling, and slab building that result in luminous and intricate textures. Nicole Corbett’s ceramics explore art as a spiritual path that unifies the psychological and natural; incorporating her body and hair in the work, each vessel contains her raw emotion and vulnerability.
As the exhibition’s curator Lisa Perry explains, “The ceramic artists included in this show all seem to have a common thread; believing that clay, coming directly from Mother Earth, is to be cherished and nurtured and loved. For many of them it’s a spiritual practice which helps them feel very connected to their work. I find that really beautiful.” Dedicated to non-traditional forms of creating, Nature/Nurture offers a space for artists who are unafraid to welcome the wild.
Onna House, East Hampton, NY
