"Cosmic Artifacts," Donté K. Hayes

The Jane Hartsook Gallery at Greenwich House Pottery is pleased to present Cosmic Artifacts by Donté K. Hayes. In this new body of work, Hayes examines objects not just as individual items, but as pieces within a larger narrative interconnected to the greater African Diaspora. Born out of the desire to create the heirlooms that are missing, lost, and erased from his own cultural and family lineage, Hayes creates sculptures that function as “future artifacts” that remix ancestral traditions, respond to contemporary realities, and envision resilient futures.

Influenced by hip-hop culture and science fiction, Hayes uses clay as both material and metaphor, building forms that are inscribed with thousands of etched lines made by a needle tool. These marks accumulate into patterns that echo hair, raffia, scars, and inscriptions. The repetitive textures and incised patterns become meditations on memory, ritual, and renewal. The unglazed ceramic surfaces are an unobstructed record of his mark-making, a way for him to imbue each sculpture with his own presence and memories using a material capable of spanning generations. These "cosmic artifacts" serve as conduits for reflection and transformation, transporting the viewer to a quieter frame of mind where they can slow down and take a deeper look at the world around them.