A Fist of Gifts
For this group exhibition, I present porcelain works glazed exclusively with my signature banana glaze. Each piece begins with a ritual: I first consume the fruit, a practice that allows me to transform nourishment into art. If I don’t digest it first, I cannot make it or bring it to life. These intimate acts of healing found expression in clay, as I began meticulously replicating the produce I consumed. Each piece captures impressions of real fruits, blurring the boundaries between permanence and decay, reflecting the coexistence of my body with unchanging medical implants. Friends and community members, learning of my work, have generously sought out fruits I had never encountered, gifting them so I could create these pieces. I layer the banana glaze with traditional chinapaints to show that it behaves like a conventional glaze, allowing the paints to work as expected while deepening the connection between material, ritual, and meaning. Most importantly, before applying the banana glaze, I drink it—my deepest way of becoming it, becoming the fruit, becoming art, and perhaps even feeling what it feels to be it.
This body of work would not have been possible without friends who contributed fruits from their own regions and cultures: mulberries from Terry in Michigan, paw paws from Cal in Ohio, Korean pears from Sso-Rha, huckleberries from Janina in Montana, and Montana pears from Amanda—bringing new flavors, histories, and connections into my creative process.
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The Carnegie
Exhibition Details
March 14 - August 16, 2025
Curated by Sso-Rha Kang
Opening Reception: Friday, March 14 from 5-8pm
Curator and Artist Walkthrough: Saturday, March 15 at noon
This exhibition broadly explores the theme of ritual—from objects that we hold with reverence, to superstitions that dictate behavior, and systems that maintain or subvert expectations.
Oscillating between the sacred and banal, rituals can take the form of gestures, words, and objects that weave between personal, professional, or cultural spaces. They can be spiritual, meaningless, self-imposed, socially regulated, strictly adhered to, or broken. Rituals are a form of world building with the ability to create atmospheres and conjure moods, which can produce tremendous affect ranging from paranoia, fear, comfort, safety, and joy.
Artists: Erika NJ Allen, Rachael Banks, Brett Davis, Ceirra Evans, Calista Lyon, Hannah Parrett, Dianna Settles, Aubrey Theobald.
* “Rituals can be found in an artist’s studio practice as seen in Erika NJ Allen’c ceramic fruits which are a result of exchanges in gift giving and the consumption of naturally produced glaze.”
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Photography by Jesse Ly, courtesy of The Carnegie
