RENEE SO

Renee So (b. 1974) bestows both monumental grandeur and caricatural qualities to the figures in her works, which weave together a pattern of cross-cultural references. So’s work encompasses ceramic, prints, textiles and reliefs. Initially interested in the decorative arts of East and West, So’s material investigation draws from an array of art history and anthropomorphic ceramicware. Her multifaceted works evoke not just the 16th century German stoneware jugs with their trademark bearded face called Bellarmine, but also Greco-Roman sculptures, Assyrian friezes, prehistoric pottery and cartoon graphics. Exemplary in her newest sculptures are borrowed conceits such as the double mirror-image faces that echo the king on a playing card and tripod legs inspired by Chinese Neolithic cauldrons. These whimsical sculptural works were included in a major publication by Phaidon titled Vitamin C: Clay and Ceramic in Contemporary Art in 2017. The comprehensive book is a global survey of 100 of today’s most important clay and ceramic artists, chosen by leading art world professionals. So’s works prompt viewers to examine how forms from mythology, ancient and modern history might be built in, or filtered through, different mediums to form rich and highly idiosyncratic visual choreographies.