2021, 60”h x 46”w x 18”d, Media: Mixed Media, Non-clay, Porcelain, Firing Process: Electric, High-fire, Oxidation, Surface: Unglazed
porcelain, neon, plexi: thread red neon text, loose porcelain 'curtain' of pills, flowers, and masks, flowing into pyramid of porcelain dipped skulls and thistles Tlamanalisti is the Nahuatl (Uto-Aztecan) word for the ritual of sacrifice. This piece refers to the frequent messaging that vulnerable groups should ‘be sacrificed’ during the pandemic in exchanged for a return to normalcy.
2020, 24" x 40" x 8", Media: Mixed Media, Non-clay, Porcelain, Firing Process: Electric, Surface: Unglazed
neon text
2021, 29”h x 43”w x 10”d , Media: Colored porcelain, Non-clay, Porcelain, Firing Process: Electric, Mid-range, Surface: Non-ceramic, Unglazed
porcelain, stain, resin, plexi, neon: yellow neon text in German, surrounded by porcelain pieces in the shape of a lemon. Pieces are slip-dipped and cast paperclay porcelain in black and white- black thistles, white lemons, white cast 3-D printed peeled lemons (baroque inspired), and white arrowleaf balsamroot (native plant), set in resin on plexi background A personal piece based on a comment from the artist’s mother (I’m ashamed to have raised you as a daughter), this work addresses the cyclical relationship between shame and trauma.
2021, 29”h x 43”w x 10”d , Media: Colored porcelain, Non-clay, Porcelain, Surface: Non-ceramic, Unglazed
Detail showing 3D printed lemon twist, slipcast lemons, burnout arrowleaf balsamroot and thistle in black and white porcelain
2021, 50”h x 56”w x 12”d , Media: Mixed Media, Non-clay, Porcelain, Firing Process: High-fire, Soda fired, Surface: Non-ceramic, Unglazed
neon, porcelain, plexi, resin: blue neon text in Italian above a garland-style sculpture of porcelain pieces on plexi. Porcelain is soda-fired slip-dipped thistles, lilacs, stargazer lilies, and ballet pointe shoes, all in various shades from white to blue to grey, adhered with resin to plexi. Miseria et Misericordia (misery and mercy), pain and beauty, are two concepts that exist in constant companionship for women. The title is a reference to a speech by Pope Francis.
2021, 50”h x 56”w x 12”d, Media: Mixed Media, Porcelain, Firing Process: High-fire, Soda fired, Surface: Non-ceramic
Detailed view of soda-fired slip-dipped thistles, lilacs, stargazer lilies, and ballet pointe shoes
2020, 30”h x 31”w x 10”d, Media: Non-clay, Porcelain, Firing Process: Electric, Surface: Non-ceramic, Unglazed
porcelain, neon, bone, resin, plexi: green neon text in French, surrounded by porcelain pieces, light soda fired slip-dipped small carnivore skulls and thistles (roadkill and weeds)
2021, 36x24x6", Media: Mixed Media, Non-clay, Firing Process: Other, Surface: Non-ceramic
neon, found object mirror.
2021, 27x10x10, Media: Non-clay, Firing Process: Oxidation, Surface: Non-ceramic
kiln-cast glass and LED lighting, ASL fingerspelling reading "alone"
2021, 60”h x 46”w x 18”d , Media: Mixed Media, Non-clay, Porcelain, Firing Process: Electric, High-fire, Oxidation, Surface: Non-ceramic, Unglazed
View with lights on of Tlamanalistli (sacrifice) showing details. Porcelain, neon, plexi: thread red neon text, loose porcelain 'curtain' of pills, flowers, and masks, flowing into pyramid of porcelain dipped skulls and thistles
Artist Statement
I use my own history of trauma, abuse, and disability to create objects that are at once culturally recognizable and highly personal; it is my hope that each viewer will recognize the overarching themes and identify them within their own experiences, thus encountering a moment of reflection, empathy, or even catharsis. My work is meant to be uncomfortable, to evoke a sense of anxiety or disquiet. Trauma is a disruption, so my work is created to be eerily beautiful, delicate and fine porcelain and glass formed into shapes with unsettling evocations. Society may prefer we not address this, but only by confronting and addressing them can we move forward.
"Lost in Translation" addresses the issues that trauma can create in communication; whether that be a physical trauma that damages ability to speak, think, or understand language, or mental and emotional trauma that significantly effects abilities to process, connect, and manage interpersonal relationships. My work is my voice, and a way to help others connect, to feel heard, and to even help them begin to communicate.
In “Lost in Translation” neon lights– culturally tied to the OPEN and NO / VACANCY signs at bars and roadside motels– display text in multiple languages, surrounded by abstracted porcelain objects. t's doubtful any audience member speaks every language. The objects– thistles, pointe shoes, prairie sunflowers, lilies, skulls, and face masks, have been dipped in liquid clay and fired out, leaving only ashes inside their ceramic shells behind as evidence. In this work, I want the audience to feel the frustration that myself and others feel as we try to relate through the tangles and thorns of disability and PTSD– something that has been made infinitely harder during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bio
Amanda Barr most recently finished her MFA in Studio Arts and MA in Art History at the University of Montana. She currently has a studio practice in Missoula as well as freelancing as a writer and designer, and is the Director of the University Center Gallery at the University of Montana.