Corrie Wille

Artist Statement

In the development of my ceramic sculpture, science fiction is my genre of choice; I’m interested in complicated, fantastical scenarios somewhere– often barely– within the grasp of reality. With clay and an affinity for daydreaming, I create my own characters, sceneries, and artifacts of an imagined extraplanetary future. Like ceramics from ancient human history, perhaps these objects will follow suit, surviving the centuries to serve as relics of this time on Earth. Maybe they will become genuine alien artifacts to future travelers to this planet, but at present they hold imagined tales of a utopian future of weirdness, queerness, and play.

I build distorted ceramic bodies, often abstractly feminine in shape, that function as a form of self portrait. The acts of piercing and decorating mimic my own modifications in a playful way and serve as an assertion of bodily autonomy. Each piece undergoes trials by water, air, heat, and pressure to complete its transformation from amorphous muck to a strong, fantastical creature. Building with material capable of such change abstractly reflects my personal evolution and inspires optimistic imagination of what could be. 

Colorful, textural glazes are central facets of my work; while they bring joy and visual excitement, they also entice tactile exploration of each piece’s topography. What does green feel like? How wet is pink? I invite imagination to run freely across my work– hidden personal narratives reside within each object, but what new stories can be concocted around them?