Mendy Arp: Selected works, 2005-2022
I am a passionate collector. I collect ceramic, metal, wood, and plastic forms (garbage), dried flowers, plant remains, animal carcasses, bones, words, motifs, ideas, and more. By making molds, I duplicate the collected items. Furthermore, I dip dried plant remains in porcelain slip, acquiring an extensive series of forms that repeat but vary. The molded and dipped pieces are joined together in their raw state with wheel-thrown forms – thus, I obtain “grown objects” that oscillate between organism (nature) and construction (culture).
Strong colors, ornaments, decors, motifs, and sometimes words are essential in my work. They allow me to create aesthetic contrasts and rhythms that, in addition to the pure forms, evoke cultural-historical memories or connections to contemporary themes.
I love to push ceramic material to its limits. For example, in the “Parasite” series, I use porcelain, which warps during the firing and may lose its statics as a result. In my work process, I give a piece a specific direction in which it might fall in the heat. I must be careful to find the point that will make the piece tilt but not fall over. Nevertheless, it happens that a piece tips over in the kiln. But so far, all of these pieces have been recovered. This precarious balance and the uncertainty of almost falling are reflected in the finished pieces.
Captions
- Anomalie I (Anomaly I), 2021, Porcelain, Engobe, Glaze, Burnished Gold, 50 x 28 x 20 cm
- Anomalie II (Anomaly II), 2021, Porcelain, Engobe, Glaze, Burnished Gold, 45 x 20 x 16 cm, Photo: Rainer Braun
- Bewuchs (Plant Cover), 2020, Porcelain, Engobe, Underglaze, Glaze, H: 45 cm
- Bonsai, 2019 – 2022, Porcelain, Glaze, H: 38 cm
- Bouquet of broken things, 2022, Porcelain, Engobe, Underglaze, Glaze, Burnished Gold, H: 55 cm
- Das Nest (Nest), 2018/2019, Porcelain, Engobe, Glaze, Platin, 23 x 16 cm
- Das Nest II (Nest II), 2019, Porcelain, Glaze, H: 14 cm
- Krank (Sick), 2021, Porcelain, Engobe, Underglaze, Glaze, H: 44 cm, Photo: Rainer Braun
- Parasit I (Parasite I), 2019/2020, Porcelain, Engobe, Underglaze, Glaze, H: 43 cm
- Parasit II (Parasite II), 2020, Porcelain, Engobe, Glaze, H: 33 cm
- Parasit III (Parasite III), 2020, Porcelain, Engobe, Glaze, H: 27 cm
- Parasit V (Parasite V), 2020, Porcelain, Glaze, H: 43 cm
- Parasit VI (Parasite VI), 2021, Porcelain, Engobe, Glaze, H: 33 cm
- Parasit VII (Parasite VII), 2022, Porcelain, Engobe, Underglaze, Glaze, H: 41 cm, Photo: Rainer Braun
- Please do not touch, 2021, Porcelain, Engobe, Underglaze, Glaze, H: 50 cm, Photo: Rainer Braun
- Selbstprotrait (Self Portrait), 2022, Porcelain, Engobe, Underglaze, Glaze, H: 55 cm
- Untitled (Parasite Series), 2020, Porcelain, Glaze, Plastic, Glue, H: 38 cm
- Untitled (Red Form Series), 2005, Ceramics, Glaze, H: 40 cm
