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Arlene Shechet
Bari Ziperstein

The Vessel Revisited: Fundamental Forms in Contemporary Ceramics

March 15August 10, 2025

Torggler Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA

This image illustrates a link to the exhibition titled Arlene Shechet<br>Bari Ziperstein in <br><i>The Vessel Revisited: Fundamental Forms in Contemporary Ceramics</i>

Vielmetter Los Angeles congratulates Arlene Shechet and Bari Ziperstein on their inclusion in the exhibition The Vessel Revisited: Fundamental Forms in Contemporary Ceramics at the Torggler Fine Arts Center in Virginia on view from March 15 through August 10, 2025.

Perhaps more than any other medium, ceramics bear the weight of their utilitarian origins. Ceramics carry an unavoidable connection to ancient history, to the forms of the jar, cup, bowl, pitcher, or urn so central to cooking, storing, and transporting goods from the very beginning of human civilization.

Far removed from that functional context, the ceramic medium remains a vital pursuit for contemporary artists who have transformed the earthen material from the utilitarian to the aesthetic, from use to contemplation. The elevation of the commonplace, along with related questions of value and the very definition of art, are some of the most significant themes of art in the last hundred years. This exhibition will engage these themes across a range of leading artists’ practices in the United States and beyond.

Arlene Shechet
“Altered State,” 2020
Glazed ceramic, painted hardwood, blackened steel, sand cast brass electroplated with chrome and nickle, gold leaf
53" x 39" x 32" [HxWxD] (134.62 x 99.06 x 81.28 cm)
Inventory #SHE163
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Phoebe d'Heurle
This image depicts an artwork by Arlene Shechet titled "Altered State." This artwork was created in 2020 and measures 53" x 39" x 32" [HxWxD] (134.62 x 99.06 x 81.28 cm). Its medium is Glazed ceramic, painted hardwood, blackened steel, sand cast brass electroplated with chrome and nickle, gold leaf.
Bari Ziperstein
“The Flat Iron,” 2022
Stoneware, underglaze and glaze
55 ¹⁄₂" x 47 ¹⁄₂" x 19" [HxWxD] (140.97 x 120.65 x 48.26 cm) overall
55 ¹⁄₂" x 25" x 16" [HxWxD] (140.97 x 63.5 x 40.64 cm) each
Inventory #ZIP1008
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Jeff McLane
This image depicts an artwork by Bari Ziperstein titled "The Flat Iron." This artwork was created in 2022 and measures 55 ¹⁄₂" x 47 ¹⁄₂" x 19" [HxWxD] (140.97 x 120.65 x 48.26 cm) overall55 ¹⁄₂" x 25" x 16" [HxWxD] (140.97 x 63.5 x 40.64 cm) each. Its medium is Stoneware, underglaze and glaze.