Paolo Porelli – “Humankind: the Sublime & the Ridiculous”

Solo exhibition by Paolo Porelli at the Belger Arts Center, Kansas City, MO. September 2 – December 17, 2016.

The title of the show: ‘Humankind: the Sublime and the Ridiculous is a composite. ‘Humankind’ refers to Porelli’s chosen subject, the human figure, in its broadest sense as well as its various mutations. The sub-title was suggested by Ken Petti, citing the 18th-century text of ‘The Age of Reason’ by Thomas Paine, which emphasizes the close relationship between these two extremes. It seemed perfect to express those same extremes represented in Porelli’s treatment of the human figure.

The anthropomorphic sculptures presented in this show are contemporary images that provide access to an archetypal dimension of reality, and focus on the evocative capacity of sculpture. Ceramic figures serve as ironic commentaries on the excesses and obsessions of global society and the enormous influence that material has on the individual. The statues express the condensation of a visual language contaminated by surrealist solutions, pop proliferations, and archaic symbolism. What Porelli finds seductive about ceramics is that, while expressing modern concepts, he can maintain contact with the technique’s archaic roots, amalgamating historical memory and present amnesia.

In this exhibition, the majority of the pieces were created during Porell’s fellowship residency at Red Star Studios in the winter of 2016. There are three series of works, distinguished by scale, different clays and techniques. The larger figure series is composed of unglazed sculptures that are completed with either found objects or casts of the same. The smaller figurine series are identifiable by the ceramic techniques adopted for their surface treatments. Whereas some are left unglazed and play on the juxtaposition of dark clay with white slip, another series is characterized by experimentation with the entire range of ceramic decoration, including underglazes and overglazes.

The other works in the exhibition break down into two smaller groups, a series of small figurines created during a period as visiting artist at Kansas State University in 2014 and larger figures dating from 2008 to 2011 that chronicle the development of Porelli’s figurative language, largely created in residencies at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, The Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT and the Byrdcliff Woodstock Guild in Woodstock, NY.