Master Series
Longing For
A Solo Exhibition of Works by Daniel Clauson
Artist Statement
These ceramic forms are reective of the Abject Body - the traumatized body - the Queer body. These forms resist the limitations of biological and systematic human structures, and reach towards an amorphous existence. The amorphousness of these artworks is seen through the relinquishing of gurative notions of the academically rendered, colonially enforced, and socially/politically elected ideas of Body. Engaging a visual conversation that accepts bodily connections beyond these common constraints.
These artworks evoke touch and intimacy while also possessing sections of fragmentation, loss, and rough textural erosion. An essence of distorted familiarity exists through the physically opened and hollowed bodily forms. The textured surface reveals landscapes reminiscent of those that enveloped my childhood in the Pacic Northwest. Using memories of caves carved from the oceans salt water and the rough terrain of the Cascade mountains, these ceramic forms reveal the eects of continual wear that is perceived through both erosions within landscape and trauma upon the Body.
These artworks are created to resist, question, and unbind the self from the biopolitical body. Therefore I mediate with clay to nd my amorphous body to validate the experiences of transformation into my own queer identity. These artworks hold the state of acceptance and rejection of what this body - these bodies - have been subjected to. Through this voice, validation, and vulnerability my practice aims to acknowledge the complexities of Queerness, with its lovingness and trauma bringing forth a space that is sensitive and healing.
Bio
Daniel is a Queer and Trans Artist focusing mostly in ceramics. He explores written and audio storytelling, along with video and drawings to enhance the experiences of his ceramic artworks. Through this artistic practice he creates bodily forms that resist the limitations of biological and systematic structure, and reach towards an amorphous body. Dan utilizes his past experiences of gender dysphoria, relationships, and ‘home’ to inuence his work. He grew up in the Pacic Northwest, where the coastal and mountainous erosion qualities have inuenced the textures and surfacing techniques in his work.
From the University of Washington, Daniel received a Bachelors in Art with Honors in the 3D4M department. He also received a minor in Art History. Daniel has attended both the University of Colorado (Boulder) and the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) as a Post Baccalaureate in ceramics. He has exhibited nationally in group and solo exhibitions, and has received multiple awards and scholarships. Daniel resides in Seattle Washington where he lives and works breathing in the salt air of the Puget Sound.