Join us for First Thursday where we will debut an installation of Zak Helenske‘s work.
Zak Helenske a potter who is interested in the development of form and the exploration of pattern. He looks to industrial and architectural situations for formal references and uses geometry as a language to communicate his observations. His work is wheel thrown and hand built with an aggregated earthenware clay. Carved drawings act as a framework to the pot’s form, with porcelain slip-work to designate positive and negative space. The immediacy of the brushwork mirrors the directness of the drawings. The bright white slip both obscures and highlights the drawn pattern, animating the surface of the pot.
Helenske is in pursuit of pottery that offers many vantage points, both visual and tactile, thoughtful and functional. Objects that engage us on a human scale, in the intimate spaces where we connect in daily practice. Pots are versatile depending on their placement, adorning our living spaces and contributing to our stories. They are a part of our domestic infrastructure. Helenske is interested in the history these objects carry from wheel to home as well as the sentiment gained from their usefulness. He is charmed by the anti-monumental, and challenged by the spatial balance between pottery, architecture, and community.