Exhibition | Glasur Stykker – Anders Ruhwald’s Alluring Experiments in Glaze

CHICAGO — In Anders Ruhwald‘s solo exhibition Glasur Stykker at Volume Gallery this April, he presented a world of visceral volumes—stout, slender, chunky, tall,  bulbous and cubic—each form a little microcosm on a pedestal. The gallery writes Ruhwald’s new body of work is a series of ceramic objects where he sidesteps his recent project-based installations in order to investigate the nature of glaze and ceramic materials.

“Glasur-stykke” is a Danish term that translates to glaze piece – a unique ceramic object where the glaze has a particular or unusual effect – as a result – differentiates it from other objects produced by the artist.

Traditionally glaze is understood as a surface treatment- an added effect- but Herwald Ruhwald considers glaze as surface, matter and color at the same time. For him glaze has not only the potential to cover the surface, but also to alter our perception of a given object.

Hyperallergic writes (great read) that Ruhwald’s surface treatment pushes the capacity of the glazes exploiting each for texture and accumulation. The result: each piece fosters a desire to sink into the variegated, uneven surfaces and explore the dimensions of its form like examining tide pools along a shoreline.

Never has the verboten act of touching art been such a tormenting temptation.

Ruhwald explains his process to Hyperallergic:

“I think of it as similar to that of a drawing practice — a body of work where I can explore, discover and find material potential that may or may not find itself into the larger installations that I do.”

“This is a way for me to address one of the core pillars of my practice — that which has to do with material, exploration and discovery through making. Normally this process happens in the studio and does not leave this threshold, but I recently have begun to feel it more important to exhibit this part of my process.”

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