PAIGE WRIGHT
SWIMMING WITH A MELTING CROWN
NOVEMBER 1 - 30, 2024
OPENING RECEPTION
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2024
5-8 PM
ON VIEW
NOVEMBER 1 - 30, 2024
FOR INQUIRES
Please contact hello@chefasprojects.com
PRESS
Chefas Projects is delighted to present Swimming with a Melting Crown, the second solo exhibition by ceramicist Paige Wright. With her latest collection of sculptures, Wright weaves together themes of fluidity and transformation, exploring both the metamorphosis of ceramic glazes and the limitless possibilities of human expression through decoration.
For Wright, the concept of melting represents a liminal space where change occurs, revealing beauty in the ephemeral. Under the kiln's intense heat, the powdered minerals in glazes transition from dull solids to molten liquids, ultimately becoming radiant adornments.This alchemical process dependent on the melting point reveals the essence of ceramics: an embrace of experimentation, science, and play, from which Wright takes great inspiration. As a result, rarely do two glazes come out the same– the material requires an embrace of uniqueness. Wright likens this to the human face, applying vibrant and textured glazes to her portraits to amplify and celebrate individuality.
Wright’s glazes are not meant to mimic the natural world, instead she uses it to perform a very human tendency – a tendency to decorate and adorn. She views this impulse not only as ancient as ego, but also as rooted deeply in an ongoing desire for knowledge of self. Equally inspired by the power of drag makeup, stripes of rich color and washes of lush texture both highlight and contrast features of the face. Swimming with a Melting Crown invites viewers to consider how identity, adornment, and beauty intertwined in our shared human experience.
Paige Wright (b. 1982) is an artist who primarily works in clay. Known for her expressive faces and versatile building techniques, she conducts workshops, lectures and exhibits around the country. She received her Bachelors in Fine Arts from The University of Montana in Missoula in 2006, as well as receiving her Masters in Fine Arts with emphasis in ceramics from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio in 2012. Paige was brought back to her hometown of Portland, Oregon in 2013 to help start and run the vessel design and production house Mazama Wares. She has held positions at Ohio University, Grand Valley State University, The Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Clark College, Radius Art Center, Idyllwild Arts Academy and Pratt and Larson Tile.
The opening reception for Swimming with a Melting Crown will take place at Chefas Projects on Friday, November 1, 2024, from 5-8 pm. Located in Portland, Oregon, at 134 SE Taylor Street on the first floor of the Taylor Works building, Chefas Projects invites the public to explore this unique exhibition, which will be on view through November 30, 2024.
ARTWORK
INSTALLATION IMAGES
© CHEFAS PROJECTS
Photo credit: Mario Gallucci