Nina Kawar

“Growing Pains” is a series of porcelain sculptures that embody personal growth as a complicated yet vulnerable transformation. The foundation of this work is grounded in healing, awareness and reflection on the temporality of this fragile life. Reminiscent of bones, these works are embedded with metal to highlight imperfections and expose their fractures. Symbolically they represent the core essence of the inner self and its resilience. Our body, mind and soul experience significant transitions in this lifetime. Whether wondrous or painful, such knowledge is a measurement of evolution and change. Just as our past is reminiscent of where we have been, we continue to progress as a collective and an individual.

The porcelain and petrified wood used in this body of work further augments the notion of transformation. Porcelain is a material that endures multiple physical and chemical stages through drying and firing cycles, while the wood encounters many changes over a vast length of time. The materials are artifacts and memories of their process of change and it’s preservation.

— Nina Kawar

Nina Kawar is a sculptor whose creative practice explores and aims to push the boundaries of porcelain by layering her work with multiple materials and processes. The elusive and often fragile forms derive from an intrigue with the human condition and healing. Many of her influences stem from psychology, biology, and architecture.

Born and raised in a Palestinian American home in Wisconsin, Nina’s sculptural work explores her multi-cultural lens that parallels her curiosity for patterns, boundaries, and perspectives. She started her artistic journey in 2005 at San Diego Community College and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 3D Design in 2011. Finding her passion for porcelain at Clemson University, she received a Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics in 2014. Currently residing in the Appalachian Mountains, she has established a studio practice in the historical Marshall High Studios in Marshall, NC.

Some of her recent exhibitions include “Into the Blue: Artist Invitation 2018” at Blue Spiral 1 in Asheville, NC, “Intro-Emerging Ceramicists In Western North Carolina” at the Asheville Area Arts Council Refinery in Asheville, NC, and “Biotic” at H Gallery in Ventura, CA. She also received “Best in Show” in the “Baltimore Fine Craft Show” with Palm Beach Show Group in Baltimore, MD in 2017.