I began referencing dancing women figures in my pottery in 2002 as an undergraduate art student. A social group gathered on Fridays to celebrate their unique beauty, which was an unexpected discovery for me at the time. As I engaged with them, I recognized myself as the "other" in the equation, which is rare for a person like me, and I remain grateful for the lessons I learn in a state of vulnerability. My current iterations of these subjects are informed by fashion models who share highly curated images of their bodies to express their pride and promote an idealized beauty. The work also acknowledges artifacts created over scores of millennia, illustrating this universal human interest as far back as we can see.
The subject matter remains precarious for me as I engage discussions about sexist objectification, self-objectification, voyeurism, and fetishism with people who are either uncomfortable with my role in these subjects or appreciate that it's being observed and articulated. In the most literal sense, I'm objectifying women's bodies by transforming the malleable substance of clay into durable stoneware that could survive for millennia. Through the lens of cultural context, I'm interpreting contemporary human phenomena while exploring my curiosity about ideal beauty in an expansive lineage of similar observations.
My Venus Figures shifted in emphasis as the Dobbs decision was announced. Previous iterations also celebrated women's power, but the ones since have stood defiantly. A fist and middle finger are aberrations from traditional depictions of Venus; an apt departure given the threat to women's power.
My first figurative sculptures were meant to inform my pots, but instead they led to new curiosities about the narrative potential of a figure. I began to impose structures onto depictions of infamous political leaders in pieces like “Pundit”. Then,I focused on the image of a male toddler. The implicit vulnerability of a young person evokes empathy and raises cautious questions. The caging elements are evidence of the kinds of structures imposed on a young person, and it’s up to the viewer to decide if that’s good or bad.
The Future Generations Series is an extension of my graduate work, including cityscapes that were small enough to be moved by two people. I wanted the work to feel larger than human on a scale that was manageable, so I used figurative elements to emphasize the proportion of the viewer to the object. The newest pieces in this series have voluminous, male figurative elements. Compared to the smaller figures, these hold an impossible burden.
Denny Gerwin began his education near his hometown at Bowling Green State University in Ohio where he earned a BFA in 3D Studies in 2004. Then, he pursued post-bach studies for two years at the Hartford Art School in Connecticut. After finishing his MFA at Utah State University in 2009 he was hired on as adjunct faculty in Ceramics and Sculpture. In 2010 Denny was featured in the Emerging Artist issue of Ceramics Monthly magazine. He was also awarded a residency in the John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry program in Kohler, Wisconsin. After working for two years as a lecturer of ceramics and foundations art at Central Michigan University, Denny accepted a position as Assistant Professor of 3D Art at Queens University of Charlotte in 2012.
Denny enjoys making his work along side his students in the on-campus studio, and showing his work in national juried exhibitions and regional invitational exhibitions. He also travels around the country doing workshops involving demonstrations of specialized techniques and processes, lectures about experiences in his artwork and in teaching, and working with groups of artists and students to fire wood-burning kilns.
