Languages: Rosaire Appel and Robert Ellison – A Life in Art & Collecting is on view at Sculpture Space NYC, New York
September 12 – October 25, 2025
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the gallery at Sculpture Space NYC – Center for Ceramic Arts, the exhibition Languages: Rosaire Appel and Robert Ellison – A Life in Art & Collecting features a selection of ceramics from The Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection, ceramics by Robert Ellison, and drawings by Rosaire Appel. The show is curated by Patricia Zarate.
This exhibition brings together two artists and their respective passions for the ancient material of clay and the more modern practice of mark making on paper. For 39 years, Rosaire Appel and Robert Ellison shared both a home and a life filled with art and curiosity. For Ellison, this led to a lifelong pursuit of collecting, learning about, and making ceramics, as well as photographing and writing books about ceramics. For Appel, her experience with the limitations of the written word and its representation led to a practice of asemic mark-making in drawings, prints, and artist’s books, where the meaning is left up to the viewer to interpret, decipher, feel, and puzzle over. In their shared living space, works from the collection mingled with those created by Appel and Ellison, existing in regards to one another. This exhibition pays homage to that interaction, while also celebrating the discrete voices of these two remarkable artists.
Rosaire Appel presents two pieces from Abstract Comics (2022-2023) alongside works from her most recent project: Today’s paper. Like comic books, Abstract Comics is a sequential read, except that there is no narrative. Choppy, colorful image and text, text and image, follow in sequential order with generous white (negative) spaces on which to pause and reflect. Today’s paper, an ongoing project, has the look of a newspaper, is made with black pigment ink on paper, and reflects both visually and emotionally the anxiety and chaos of today.
Robert Ellison, a self-taught painter, began collecting ceramics in the 1960’s. He searched for pots in flea markets, antique shops, and auction houses. After a number of years teaching himself about ceramics, he realized that what he was collecting is called American Art Pottery. Along the way, Ellison had a short period of creating ceramics himself. This exhibition includes pieces made by Ellison in the 1970s. His undulating forms and expressive glaze techniques reflect the influence of George Ohr, an early twentieth century American potter who broke the rules and traditions of ceramics by creating one-of-a-kind pieces, a radical concept for that time.
The works from The Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection selected for this exhibition include modern and contemporary pieces by renowned ceramic artists: Rudy Autio, Peter Callas, Cristina Carver, Ellisa D’Arrigo, Harris Deller, John Rohlfing, Peter Voulkos, and Arnie Zimmerman. Ellison notes that, as he chose pieces, he built, “…a collection focused solely on shape, the artist’s vision, and means of construction.”1 Asymmetrical in shape and ranging from rough with irregular surfaces to smooth, finished surfaces, these works are either wheel-thrown or hand-built and are heavily or lightly glazed. Some have unusual shapes evoking a sense of play, humor, and whimsy, while others are serious, weighty vessels. The selected works are only a sample of what Ellison collected during his lifetime and are indicative of his steadfast passion for the ceramic arts and his support for artists working in clay.
Sculpture Space NYC – Center for Ceramic Arts would like to thank The Robert A. Ellison Jr. Estate, Rosaire Appel, and Hillary Ellison for their generous loans of artwork to this exhibition.
Essay by Patricia Zarate
Patricia Zarate is an artist, curator, and co-founder of Key Projects (2013–2020), an artist-run gallery space. Her practice spans painting, drawing, and installation, investigating abstraction and perception through color, seriality, pattern, and repetition. Zarate earned her MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and a BBA from Baruch College in New York City.
Sculpture Space NYC – Center for Ceramic Arts is a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to promoting contemporary visual art focusing on the research and exploration of three-dimensional work with an emphasis towards ceramics. SSNYC-CCA‘s mission is to stimulate creativity, new ideas and collaboration in ceramics-based investigations. Artists, designers and craftspeople of all backgrounds converge in this center to experiment, learn, make, reflect and grow artistically.
Contact
info@sculpturespacenyc.com
Sculpture Space NYC – Center for Ceramic Arts
47-21 35th Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
United States
Photos courtesy of the gallery
I had the opportunity to enjoy this well curated selection of highly creative and inspiring ceramics during my brief visit to Queens last week. Thank you for highlighting it here.