Silent Partner

2021, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, TX •

Silent Partner is one of the 2020-2021 Nasher Public exhibitions. The title is taken from Caterina Roma, who wrote about El arte del vacío at la Galería Artur Ramon in Barcelona: “En estas obras, los artistas presentan su particular definición del concepto de vacío, de la relación del material, la arcilla, con el espacio que contiene o que la rodea. Y es que, de hecho, ese vacío es un compañero silencioso de la cerámica a lo largo de su historia, que es también la historia de la humanidad.” Translated to English, Roma wrote: “In these works, the artists present their particular definition of the concept of the void, of the relation to the material, clay, with the space that it contains or that surrounds it. & it’s that, in fact, this void is a silent partner of ceramics throughout its history & human history.”

Silent Partner draws on a dozen series from the past eight years. The void is integral to the artworks. Instead of filling a space, Silent Partner commits the violation that, at least since Modernism as it is understood in the world of art, is like a four-letter word: to decorate.

selected survey of artworks 2013-2021, including four clay drawings on windows & two hundred ceramics in a broad range of: clays & glazes; drawing, painting, & modeling; temperatures; & firing methods