Spring Art Show 2023
“Withered Effigy”
For the art show this year I have decided to create this crucifix and the four figures surrounding it. I handbuilt all of the figures and used glaze to color them. This piece is a commentary on religion and its potential for misuse and abuse for personal gain. Religion plays a significant role in many people's lives, and individuals can be manipulated by someone who misuses their own religion to encourage and force people to do bad things. The figures surrounding the crucifix represent the people who twist religion into a weapon for their own gain. Religion has been used wrongly by powerful people throughout history, the crusades, and islamic extremism are two great examples of religion used as a weapon and manipulation tool. The people who wield religion wrongly don’t have to be that powerful to begin with; they only need to understand the power that religion can hold over people. This type of control tactic can even be employed by business and corporations; a woman I knew who lived in my neighborhood was brought into a pyramid scheme that used religion to suck her in. The people who use religion are often also members of the same religion they use to control others. The crucifix represents what the people who abuse religion have turned their religion into, they have torn it and taken away its meaning, turning it into something unlike the original. The figures are largely colorless, as I believe that a twisted religion and its mutilators are without much substance, ultimately they have created something hollow. Overall, I’m very happy with how these pieces turned out and I wish I was taking another ceramics class next year.
“Withered Effigy”
For the art show this year I have decided to create this crucifix and the four figures surrounding it. I handbuilt all of the figures and used glaze to color them. This piece is a commentary on religion and its potential for misuse and abuse for personal gain. Religion plays a significant role in many people's lives, and individuals can be manipulated by someone who misuses their own religion to encourage and force people to do bad things. The figures surrounding the crucifix represent the people who twist religion into a weapon for their own gain. Religion has been used wrongly by powerful people throughout history, the crusades, and islamic extremism are two great examples of religion used as a weapon and manipulation tool. The people who wield religion wrongly don’t have to be that powerful to begin with; they only need to understand the power that religion can hold over people. This type of control tactic can even be employed by business and corporations; a woman I knew who lived in my neighborhood was brought into a pyramid scheme that used religion to suck her in. The people who use religion are often also members of the same religion they use to control others. The crucifix represents what the people who abuse religion have turned their religion into, they have torn it and taken away its meaning, turning it into something unlike the original. The figures are largely colorless, as I believe that a twisted religion and its mutilators are without much substance, ultimately they have created something hollow. Overall, I’m very happy with how these pieces turned out and I wish I was taking another ceramics class next year.