The series Dry Pastures explores the diminishing resilience of soils as a symbol of ecological fragility and planetary exhaustion. The works reflect a state of overuse, where signs of decomposition and decay evoke dried-out earth formations, traces of erosion, or scorched root systems.
Through research and conceptualization, Dry Pastures addresses pressing environmental issues, highlighting the harmful effects of practices such as soil sealing and pollution.
This ceramic sculpture engages in a deliberate play of material illusion, presenting what appears to be a pliant textile suspended between antler-like structures. In actuality, both the draped “fabric” and the branching “horns” are meticulously formed from clay, their contrasting surfaces and forms unified through the transformative processes of firing and glazing. The clay was sourced from excavation sites, directly connecting the work to the ground it represents. The ceramic horns are glazed with bone ash — historically used as fertilizer — referencing agricultural cycles and human intervention in the soil’s natural state.
The display serves as a visual and tactile representation of the soil’s geological conditions, underscoring it as a fundamental prerequisite for life and making its fragility tangible.