I feel a fascination for the incomplete, the unresolved. These gestures come from a locus that I both know and do not know. Whether physically present in my pieces or shadows left behind from explorations, I aim to highlight the transformative during the process of making.
I often work on many projects at once and then combine the various elements into one piece. My natural inclination is to do improvisations drawn from place and experience. I constantly challenge my practice so that my thoughts and ideas don’t become rote. As Duchamp said, “I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.”
I see the works as aftermaths of an unraveling.
— Russ Orlando
Bio
Russ Orlando earned his MFA in ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art. His work has been shown across the country, including the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, MN, the Mattress Factory Art Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). In 2009, he was a recipient of the Kresge Artist Fellowship. He has been an adjunct professor at Wayne State University, as well as a visiting artist and lecturer.