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Slinky Spirals of Clay Form Topsy-Turvy Vases by Michael Boroniec

Michael Boroniec subverts the age-old conception of pots and vases as useful vessels of containment with his sculptural ceramics. The artist began his spiral motif in 2008 with a focus on teapots, and the style has since become the predominant theme of his body of work. Boroniec forms each vessel on his potter’s wheel, and then carefully slices through the still-soft clay to deconstruct the traditional shape. He describes his intention behind these deconstructions in a recent Instagram post:

This process reveals aspects of the vase that most rarely encounter. Within the walls, maker’s marks become evident and contribute to the texture. The resultant ribbon effect, reminiscent of a wheel trimming, lends fragility, elegance, and motion to a medium generally perceived as hard and heavy. This emphasizes a resistance of gravity, allowing negative space to unravel and become part of the form.

Boroniec studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and now lives and works in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is represented by Lyons Wier Gallery, where his work is on view in a group exhibition through April 28, 2018. You can see more of his work on tumblr and Instagram. Mark Cantin and Cat Burt also directed and produced a short film about Boroniec, which you can view below.