Ash Reardon King

Untitled Arch .001
Stoneware, underglaze wash, glaze
13″ x 13″ x 4.5″

Untitled Arch .002
Stoneware, underglaze wash, glaze
13″ x 13″ x 4.5″

This body of work and way of creating has been guided by exploration of the intersections between politics, identity, and my personal experience of existing in a system that is inherently “not for me.” In a world where everything is political, individual existence can be an act of defiance, if not a revolutionary stance. Current conditions of navigating and discovering identity within our societal structure is arguably not designed to accommodate or honor difference. Identities outside of ones that uphold ideals of society are often discussed as stigmatizing tropes and stereotypes. This compulsory relationship with the world around me has created a hyper-fixation on trying to understand the authentic self without trying to use the widely accepted construct of “normal” as my metric.

Tactile discovery with clay allows me to explore a queer neurodivergent experience through the intersection of human experience and materiality. My process based building method responds to how clay and glaze as materials mirror my innate understanding of self. The inclusion of the glaze in the interior of the ceramic form as I build is a direct reflection of my relationship to how understanding my identity challenges the systems of hetero-normativite society. The arch forms reference architectural structures and create a visual representation of illusionary parameters that attempt to contain the glaze, while glazes become a narrative element calling for the dissolution of the system.