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Felix Neeleman

Dealing with it

 

 

I have always used art as a way to navigate my own experiences. For me, it is the process by which I give what I feel a physical body. Whatever shape that takes I usually try and leave up to the moment. I like best making work that is specific to me, but also that deals with relatable enough emotions that any viewer could draw parallels to their own life experiences.

My thesis project explores ideas of resilience, memory, and rebirth that have been on my mind lately. This project originally had just been something I had been doing this term on the side whenever I felt especially anxious. These last few months have been very difficult for me, and ceramics has always been an outlet for me when I'm under a lot of stress. It was refreshing to get away from my screens and to get lost in this process of making. I started making sculptures of vague organic forms, taking inspiration from bones and shells. In lieu of a kiln, I have been experimenting with pit firing my pieces in the ground. This process can be tricky and usually ends in lots of breakage. After firing, I gather the shattered pieces and reassemble them as best I can, taking liberty in areas with very small or missing pieces.

These sculptures are about resilience and putting something back together, albeit not in a way exactly the same as it was before.

felixneeleman.com

 
 
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Cullen Sharp