Statement
Working within a craft that is often approached from a traditionalist point of view, I acknowledge the past as foundational while smiling towards the future, incorporating newer techniques of 3D printing, and contemporary approaches like applying laser printed decals to slipcased or hand-built objects. Clay helps me foster a feeling of glee and acceptance, creating space to connect with these complex and difficult memories in a positive light and move forward. Through my work, I am slowly realizing that the truth and endurance of my memories are less valuable to me than the ability to freely and frequently engage with whatever version of them currently persists. These techniques, when applied to vessels, actualize a process of renewal and reinvention on familiar bodies and forms. In this way, my practice gives me the space to remake and reconsider past histories of craft traditions and past versions of myself.
— Jolie Ngo
Bio
Jolie Ngo (b.1996) is a Vietnamese American artist who was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Working primarily in clay, she uses the vessel as a conduit between tradition and personal experience, she alters their surfaces with layers of ornamentation as a strategy to investigate ideas about memory and self-identity. She recently received her BFA in ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design and currently is a MFA candidate in Ceramic Art at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her works have been exhibited at the Design Miami, Miami; Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles; Fisher Parrish Gallery, Brooklyn; The Clay Studio; Philadelphia, Franconia Sculpture Park, Minnesota; SIP Gallery, Boston and La Galerie Lefebvre & Fils; Paris, France.