Dynamic Ceramics
“Who cares about the work I do or anybody does?” This is the question with which Ayumi Horie challenges herself and other aspiring artists. Horie, who came to Exeter on Monday night as a visiting artist, works mainly in the medium of ceramics.From bowls to match strikers to yunomi, Japanese teacups, Ayumi Horie’s work consistently depicts one motif: animal wildlife. Bats, whales, otters and deer are only a few examples of the fauna that have appeared on Horie’s pottery.Horie has always been a hands-on woman. According to her personal website, she “learned to love working with her hands early on as her Japanese family fished, gardened, cooked and often visited the beach.” Her adventurous, outdoor lifestyle exposed her to the “materiality of the world,” inspiring her future career in studio art.Horie mentioned that ceramics in particular grabbed her attention as an art form.“It’s a material that demands dialogue, because it never quite does what one wants it to. In many ways, it's a metaphor for relationships in life and the way in which it's both hard and necessary to live in community,” she said.But why do surrealistic animals and landscapes grace the surface of Horie’s pottery? “Animals work as subject matter for me because they work on multiple levels,” Horie said. “There's a natural emotional draw to them, an inclination to project our own human dramas on them, and meld their worlds into ours. I think that they have an ability to soften our guards and allow us to be playful.”Upper Jessie Yeung, who enjoys Horie’s artwork, agreed. “I thought she had some really interesting ideas about how pots and mugs affected human relationships. I've never really paid much attention to whether or not mugs made me feel any particular emotion,” she commented, “but I can see how her work can do that, especially as a lot of people around me went ‘Aww’ when a cute design came up in the presentation.”Upper Rachel Baxter especially appreciated the artistry demonstrated in Horie’s work. “I thought her work was really impressive. I loved her presentation because it was a very good insightful look into the thought process she had with ceramics. I also enjoyed the animals themselves—she talked about making them softer and more accessible, and her animals really did look human and gentle,” she said.Horie also utilizes social media applications and sites such as Instagram and Etsy.“I'm using social media to tell a larger story about the objects I make, since the value of objects today lies not just in their physical function, but in the story of their creation. It's a very old idea with a new twist. I use Instagram primarily to show the larger world around my studio practice and to try and reach an audience beyond ceramics and craft,” she said.When asked about what she wants viewers of her art to take from her work, she kept her answer simple and succinct. “A laugh. Or better yet, a moment of reflection.”