The ceramic sculptures of Chris Antemann reference 18th century porcelain figurines and the events of Fragonard paintings, but strive to present moments that speak more with the current than the past. Her work examines/humorizes the relationship roles of men and women and presents these through an innocence in their scale and subject matter. The purity of Chris’ porcelain and lustered surfaces contrast the scenarios she portrays…often contemporary moments such as luncheons and celebrations where innocence is losing or has been lost. Antemann’s work reads as moments of pre-foreplay, holding onto the last strands of properness before complete debauchery and lust become consuming. Her narratives are moving and gracious, filling the viewers with enough desire to make them burst.
Dovetail, 2008, ceramic, lustre, decals, 10x9x11
Feast of Impropriety (detail), 2010, porcelain, lustre, decals, 16"x39"x15"
Chris is represented by the Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and is a 2010 Virginia A. Groot Foundation First-Place Grant Recipient.