From the opalescent glazes of the self-proclaimed Mad Potter of Biloxi George Ohr to the art collective Gelitin’s simulation of sex with raw clay, ceramics have long been a site of avant-garde experimentation. Now, “Clay Pop,” a group show curated by Alia Williams at Jeffrey Deitch in New York, follows a cohort of artists pushing the medium forward in strange, wonderful new directions.
For the 36 artists included in the show, “the range of influences encompasses vernacular commercial imagery and artistic sources from African American assemblage to Walt Disney,” and everything in between, according to a statement from the gallery.
Many of the works on view seem to recreate everyday objects, but if done by a mad scientist. Seth Bogart’s ceramics take the shape of well-loved paperbacks with lightly tattered dog-eared pages. Then there’s Sally Saul’s forlorn-looking woman who’s a little rough around the edges. It reminds us of real life, but messier, and more fun to look at. “Clay Pop,” curated by Alia Williams, is on view at Jeffrey Deitch, 18 Wooster Street, through October 30.