Art review: Ceramics exhibit in Canton is disturbing and beautiful

Where artists find inspiration for their work is often the majority of the challenge for creating something new. Whether they are dancers, musicians, designers or sculptors, the concepts that drive the creative vision are the defining parts of whether a final product “works” or not.

Finding an artist who seemingly “bleeds" creativity is always an unexpected occurrence. Regardless of the medium chosen by the artist, when you see someone who has a deep resource for ideas and motivation, you want to make note and remember that person. 

“Close to Me: Ceramics by Erika Sanada,” on view at the Canton Museum of Art through Oct. 24, is a visual experience that highlights the boundless creative mind of this California artist. The work is a creepy, fantastical, colorful feast that is as disturbing as it is beautiful.

“My work reflects the weird and the creepy. I am fascinated with the dark side,” the artist says.

Once you take the time to look closely at the different sculptures, it’s easy to see why Sanada would describe work this way. The artist uses clay to create animals that have odd or different things about them like extra body parts, white eyes and even physical attachments to plants or completely different animals.

Sanada sights a “troubled childhood and constant life anxieties,” when describing the things that inform the sculptures.

The piece “Differences Of Opinion” features a small dog-like creature that has birds and leaves living in and growing on one side. On the animal's nose is another bird that is somehow part of the dog and is what appears to be the source of the “difference in opinion.” 

This work has a special tension about it. The creatures are attached to each other and clearly are working through something together as a group. Even though the animals depicted are clearly fantasy, they still retain a human quality and emotional state that helps to make the work more easily relatable. 

One of the special parts of all the work of Sanada’s included in the show is how the artist has chosen to use color to help transport the viewer. Each of these sculptures is painted with bright purples, blues, pinks and reds.

When Sanada does use a color that might be more like a traditional animal skin tone, it is quickly transferred to a more fantasy-based color like a purple or blue.

Further, the artist has roughed up and lightly scratched all the surfaces of the sculptures. This helps to give them more texture, while at the same time offering a sense of something that might not be all together formed yet.

In the work “Feed Me,” Sanada has created a dog in a sitting position. A bird is attached to the dog’s shoulder and long narrow leaves are in the dog’s mouth. All of the elements are physically connected with skin-like attachments.

While this adds to a level of creepiness, it also tells a story and creates a tension. The three parts of the sculpture — bird, dog and leaves — exist in a circular world that expresses a demand for food and some of the challenges that surround that important resource. While it’s not clear if this sculpture is sharing something personal to the artist, it is clear that a battle is waging for a limited resource. The twist is that in this case, the food might be figuring out a way to fight back.

“In My Eye” is another wonderfully expressive sculpture that features a pink dog head with purple ears and a bird or perhaps, in this case, a large flying insect that looks to be about to attack the dog’s eye. The expression of sadness on the animal’s face is palpable. We’ve all experienced something getting in our eye and the pain it can cause. Here the artist has done a remarkable job of depicting and expressing that type of moment.

Each of the works included in this exhibit have a unique sensibility and beauty about them. The artist shares that “Beautiful and disturbing are terms I hear when people talk about my work and I love that these two terms are not often used together.”

It’s difficult to look at these pieces and not notice the beautiful, disturbing qualities. It’s also equally challenging to not see the clear talent and creativity this artist emotes with every piece.

Details

Exhibit: “Close to Me: Ceramics by Erika Sanada” through Oct. 24.

Place: Canton Museum of Art, 1001 Market Ave. N.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, students and military veterans and free for children 12 or younger. Free admission every Thursday for all.

More information: cantonart.org or 330-453-7666.