Kate Weinberg
My work involves sculptural stoneware ceramic pieces fired in a gas reduction kiln. The vase and pitcher forms are all wheel thrown with sculptural components added to the surfaces. My work addresses two different themes, one relating to the female form and the other relating to intimacy and connection.
On social media reality can be distorted, especially when it comes to women and how they want their bodies to be viewed. My work is an unfiltered portrayal of the female body. It emphasizes the curves, shapes and form of real women. As a previous D1 athlete, I found myself in a community that greatly influenced the perception of my body. Since then I have found clarity in accepting and celebrating my body, and want this confidence to be emulated in these pieces.
The other area of focus in my work explores what it feels like to be physically connected to another person. Whether it be a friend, family member or significant other, the chemistry between two people is one that I cannot put into words. I wanted to capture this abstract feeling of intimacy and connection in these sculptural vases. Bodies morph together, limbs reach out, and it is easy to lose track of where one person starts and the other begins. My work, with tangled limbs, is directly influenced by Louise Bourgeois’s sculpture “The Couple”’ which I saw this past summer at Mass MOCA. This sculpture embodies what it feels like to be connected to someone, and I wanted others to experience that feeling from my work as well.
My thesis as a whole has two parts, but together it mirrors my own experience with my identity and self-confidence. Although I am intertwined in relationships that drastically influence my life, I still strive for independence and confidence in myself that is non-reliant on others.