Matthias Merkel Hess, "Frosted Flakes"
stoneware
7.5 x 3 x 12.5”
2022
STATEMENT
My work is a constant exploration of the ceramic vessel and what it means to make pottery and ceramic sculptures at this moment in time in America. Referencing archeology, art history, and popular culture, the vessels I make weave together signs and symbols that embody and embrace the American experience including our consumer culture, hedonism, and wastefulness. Building on my previous explorations of everyday containers such as plastic trash cans and 5 gallon buckets, my most recent work has included containers such as cereal boxes, six packs, and Kool-Aid pitchers.
BIO
Matthias Merkel Hess is a New York City-based artist working primarily in clay. Born and raised in Iowa, he received his MFA from UCLA and has exhibited widely. His work is in the permanent collections of the MFA Houston in Texas; the Crocker Museum of Art in Sacramento, Calif.; and the Nerman Museum in Overland Park, Kansas.
stoneware
7.5 x 3 x 12.5”
2022
STATEMENT
My work is a constant exploration of the ceramic vessel and what it means to make pottery and ceramic sculptures at this moment in time in America. Referencing archeology, art history, and popular culture, the vessels I make weave together signs and symbols that embody and embrace the American experience including our consumer culture, hedonism, and wastefulness. Building on my previous explorations of everyday containers such as plastic trash cans and 5 gallon buckets, my most recent work has included containers such as cereal boxes, six packs, and Kool-Aid pitchers.
BIO
Matthias Merkel Hess is a New York City-based artist working primarily in clay. Born and raised in Iowa, he received his MFA from UCLA and has exhibited widely. His work is in the permanent collections of the MFA Houston in Texas; the Crocker Museum of Art in Sacramento, Calif.; and the Nerman Museum in Overland Park, Kansas.
stoneware
7.5 x 3 x 12.5”
2022
STATEMENT
My work is a constant exploration of the ceramic vessel and what it means to make pottery and ceramic sculptures at this moment in time in America. Referencing archeology, art history, and popular culture, the vessels I make weave together signs and symbols that embody and embrace the American experience including our consumer culture, hedonism, and wastefulness. Building on my previous explorations of everyday containers such as plastic trash cans and 5 gallon buckets, my most recent work has included containers such as cereal boxes, six packs, and Kool-Aid pitchers.
BIO
Matthias Merkel Hess is a New York City-based artist working primarily in clay. Born and raised in Iowa, he received his MFA from UCLA and has exhibited widely. His work is in the permanent collections of the MFA Houston in Texas; the Crocker Museum of Art in Sacramento, Calif.; and the Nerman Museum in Overland Park, Kansas.