Nicole Ryder
Ceramicist
Los Angeles, CA, USA
One with the vessel
- Nicole paints her ceramic works with her hair
- She is constantly searching for freedom in the making process
- Her work is inspired by abstract expressionism, body art and performance art
Nicole Ryder went to college to work in international diplomacy, but a trip to South Korea changed everything. While studying the language, she encountered contemporary Korean art and Zen Buddhism. “It was there that I decided I needed to pursue a creative life," Nicole says. After establishing and running an arts magazine in Brooklyn, NY, she started pursuing ceramics as an antidote to her digital life. Today, the form of the Korean moon jar is at the heart of Nicole's work. "To me, moon jars symbolise the mind, consciousness and female body," she says. Today, she paints moon jars with her hair, a process that allows her to elwminate the space that separates her from the work. "The idea was born from the desire to have whatever is in the art be as honest and raw as possible," Nicole explains.
INTERVIEW
With coiling, there is no limit to what I can create. If I wanted to, I could make works bigger than my own body. I like the repetitive nature of the technique, and that everyone does it a little bit differently. I enjoy the strength it takes to make a large piece.
I wanted to eliminate the distance between me and the art. The idea of painting with my hair came to me in the studio and instead of dismissing it, I decided to do it and not have any attachment to the outcome. The idea seemed wild to me, and I simply wanted to experience what that would feel like.
It feels like I am not there anymore. I enter a total state of meditative flow. I am no longer thinking, I am simply doing. I often make my moon jars quite large, so that they are really heavy. As I am lifting them or moving them around, it almost feels like the piece and I merge, becoming one.
I am influenced by artists such as Tracey Emin, Marina Abramovic and Louise Bourgeoise. Emin is an inspiration because of the rawness of her work. I admire Bourgeoise for the way she expresses her own subconscious and trauma in her art. Abramovic inspires me with her performance art that uses the body, even though I do not consider my painting performance.
Nicole Ryder
Ceramicist
Los Angeles, CA, USA
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English, French, Spanish
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