LILY CLARK
United StatesInfluenced by her background in graphic design, fluid dynamics, and mid-century art and architecture, Lily Clark has gained growing attention for her meditative and innovative artworks, which often involve water or fountains. While working with natural, often locally sourced materials like stone and clay, she sees water as her primary medium.
Who is Lily Clark?
Lily Clark is an artist and designer based in Los Angeles, California. She grew up near the Silver Lake Reservoir in Los Angeles, which may have seeded an early interest in the city’s water infrastructure. She pursued graphic design at the Maryland Institute College of Art, but the two-dimensionality of the work seemed limiting, and she soon found herself engaged with the textures and tactility of ceramics.
How has Lily Clark’s practice developed?
Clark has cited her interest in water and fluid dynamics as a result of viewing an exhibition of Tauba Auerbach‘s work, visiting mineral hot springs near the Mojave desert, and growing up near the Silver Lake Reservoir. Her designs are also influenced by the mid-century architecture of Los Angeles, the Japanese practice of Ikebana, and artists such as Isamu Noguchi, Helen Pashgian, and Michael Heizer.
Her ceramic work evolved into creating sculptural fountains that serve as both functional objects and contemplative art pieces. Terracotta and porcelain are often left unglazed to highlight the natural contrast between the matte surfaces and the flowing water.
Clark aims to communicate a sense of tranquility through sensory awareness in her water features. She often works with local materials to create site-specific pieces that respond to the natural light and landscape, drawing inspiration from the surrounding architecture and history of each location.
What are some of Lily Clark’s key works?
‘Comb’ Fountains: this series of works mimics the structure of dams, scaled down for interior spaces, and often feature inclusions of found stones.
Featuring a pedestal-like structure with a curved surface, the artist’s ‘Dew Point’ works (2024) emit dew drops from small openings, which roll down the hydrophobic bowls, sometimes combining, before disappearing into small central crevice. The works have gained notoriety on Instagram with several videos gaining viral views.
Where does Lily Clark exhibit her works?
Clark has produced several key commissions, and her work has been showcased in various exhibitions around Los Angeles and beyond, including:
- Confluence, Neutra VDL House, Los Angeles (21 December 2021–19 January 2025).
- Class of ‘24, Triennale Milano, Wallpaper* (16–21 April 2024).
- Noon to Midnight, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles (16 November 2024).
- Water & Flower, Wilding Cran Gallery (29 June–27 July 2024).
- Objects for a Heavenly Cave, Marta, Los Angeles, (7 September–12 October 2024).
More information about Lily Clark’s work can be found on her website, and she shares updates on her Instagram profile.
Hazel Ellis | Ocula | 2025
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