“I think of my pieces as life forms that are in the process of transforming in ways that may be both wonderful and strange,” says artist Janny Baek, whose otherworldly ceramics (previously) merge vibrant color, eclectic motifs, and botanical details.
“I’ve been incorporating blooming flowers and puffy clouds into my work to think about our intimate and complicated relationship to the natural world,” the artist tells Colossal. “Changes in shape and color imply tendencies, possibilities, desire. Familiar forms, like the open vessel, plant forms, and heads, are a way for me to connect to the lineage of making and hand-building with clay.”
Baek explores the relationship between nature, science fiction, and fantasy in her sculptures, which are often around a foot tall and wide but sometimes reach up to 20 inches high. Some sprout coral-like appendages or appear to stand on four legs.
The artist has focused on colored porcelain using the nerikomi technique, in which multiple pigmented clays combine to create a marbling or patterned effect. Baek recently began working with rougher, sandy stoneware, which affords more freedom to scale up in size and complexity.
“I love to have the freedom to incorporate different materials and ways of making when it fits the work,” Baek says. “Even if I shift materials or techniques, I’m always drawing from the main foundational ideas that drive my work.”
“Walking Cloudbloom” is included in the Korean International Ceramics Biennale exhibit at the Gyeonggi Museum of Ceramic Design in South Korea. She is also working toward a three-person show at ArtYard in Frenchtown, New Jersey, scheduled to open in February. Find more on Baek’s website and Instagram.
