breathing 1996 - 2000

Curator: Standing before us is Andrew Lord's piece, aptly named "breathing." Editor: My first thought is that it feels like a still life, but with an almost unsettling, organic quality. Curator: Lord, born in 1950, is known for his sculptural ceramics that often play with form and function. Consider the placement of the work, upon this rough-hewn table. It lends a deliberately provisional quality. Editor: Yes, it’s the provisional aspect that fascinates me—the potential for these objects to be seen as embodiments of a transformative act. The glazing, for example, recalls traditions and perhaps parodies them. There is an irony here. Curator: I agree. It calls into question the traditional canon and asks us to reconsider the role of ceramics within the established hierarchy of art. Editor: Absolutely, and the title, "breathing," suggests an ongoing process, a resistance to fixity, a critical comment on the commodification of even the most radical artistic gestures. Curator: A fascinating commentary on the shifting dynamics of art and its place in our world. Editor: Indeed, it gives you much to consider about objecthood and time.