Opening Reception, "Fractured Light" New Works by Irja Boden

Amos Eno Gallery proudly presents "Fractured Light": an exhibition of new ceramics by Irja Bodén. This is Irja's first solo exhibit with the gallery, and the show's title is in reference to Leonard Cohen's song Anthem, which declares, “There is a crack . . . in everything; that's how the light gets in.” These works emphasize a particular dimension of ceramics: as clay hardens, it gets fragile. Clay in that way echoes our society; as it hardens, it gets fragile and brittle, but it is within its cracks where a hopeful light may shine through.

Bodén uses stacking as a method of spatial organizing The stacks run between three to forty-five inches, richly textured, wheel-thrown and hand-built. Many of the works contain unique loose objects precariously perched upon larger vessels to express that within balance inheres precariousness. Some are layered richly with glaze, others are made in alternative firings of raku. Bodén's work alludes to the natural world and domestic interiors.

Ceramic is an unpredictable material and it is largely out of one's hands how it will appear after firing. But it is the unpredictability which keeps her interested in the material, as it echoes life and because clay, like our bodies, retains memories of how it has been treated. It is not unusual for her to subject her works to multiple firings, since she enjoys experimentation with surface techniques. Some of her works on exhibit in "Fractured Light" contain broken, unrecognizable parts, in reference to how memories diminish and change over time.

Irja Bodén (b. Sweden) holds a BFA from SUNY Potsdam, magna cum laude, in visual arts and a BA in Social Science from Lund University, Sweden. Recipient of several grants, awards, and residencies, her work has been exhibited in the US and abroad. Bodén was awarded an 2021 Artist Resource Trust Fund from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. She was an artist in The Immigrant Artist Biennial 2020; Here Together!, NY. Bodén is currently based in New York's Hudson Valley.