Ruins Series, found porcelain plates, ceramic decal,
postcard of Roman ruins in Libya (postmarked 1966), Overall dimensions: 57”W x 27”H x 6”D
Photo by David Hunter Hale
2021
Ruins (U.S. Capital Building), Found porcelain plate, ceramic decal, luster
9.5” x 1”
2021
Ruins (St. John’s Church), found porcelain plate, ceramic decal, luster
9.5” x 1”
2021
Ruins (White House), found porcelain plate, ceramic decal, luster, postcard
9.5” x 1”
2021
Ruins (Lincoln Memorial), found porcelain plate, ceramic decal, luster
9.5” x 1”
2021
Artist Statement (Excerpt from In the Absence of Grey):
This column has lost plumb. The sun is at perfect apex directly overhead, yet one long side is dark with its own shadow. That same shadow has begun to stretch out on the pavement, slowly plotting the direction of its lean, telegraphing the place it will inevitably topple.
But you know how light play tricks…
Simply begin to side-step, so slowly you don’t even notice you are moving. Stop once you align yourself with the shade. Now bend over backwards, chin up, tilt your whole body back, weight on your heels. Now wait for the light to change, for the shadows to calm, wait until the sky is a single tone of concrete grey. You may even have to squint your eyes a bit to see how true this column stands. And even if your eyes close, just stand there and imagine the capital perfectly aligned over its base, centered. Now hold this position, become entrenched in this place. Oppose those who don’t see, after all, only you are standing where this truth is clear. There is no danger of being crushed by a sudden uproot. This column is perfectly plumb.
Biography
A. Blair Clemo is an Assistant Professor of Craft and Material Studies and Clay Area Head at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received his MFA in Ceramics at the New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University in 2010. Clemo’s utilitarian and sculptural work in clay and other media has been included over 130 solo and group exhibitions nationally and abroad. For more information visit his website at www.ablairclemo.com