The Opportunist
Collection: Houston Airport System (HAS)
2009
Stoneware, underglaze, luster, silicone rubber, quills, dyed monofilament
Location:
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
2800 N Terminal Rd
Houston, TX 77032
About the Artwork:
The Opportunist (2009)
by Kelley Eggert
Kelley Eggert developed her ceramic practice at University of Florida, Gainesville’s MFA program before becoming an artist-in-residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in Houston in 2010. She is a professor of art and ceramics at Lonestar Community College and Houston Community College and served on the board of Clay Houston from 2016-2019. Eggert often creates otherworldly sculptures that explore the collision of technology and the natural world. Here is an example of her mixed media stoneware at Bush Intercontinental Airport that measures 16 inches high, wide, and deep. It shows an alien-like, organic being that has a central, flower-like body of six petals that bloom smaller flowers similar to Georgia O’Keefe’s orchids and tulips; from the center of this plant protrudes a fleshy pistil and a stigma with quills and filaments. From the bottom of the center is a scaly platform with five scorpion tails that seem ready to sting anything that gets too close. Note the details of the ceramic, including the quills, bumps, and veins. Eggert once said, “My sculptures address biotechnology by embodying both organism and machine.” Through a combination of the grotesque in the context of procreation, Eggert challenges the viewer’s idea of what is natural.
The Opportunist (2009)
by Kelley Eggert
Kelley Eggert developed her ceramic practice at University of Florida, Gainesville’s MFA program before becoming an artist-in-residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in Houston in 2010. She is a professor of art and ceramics at Lonestar Community College and Houston Community College and served on the board of Clay Houston from 2016-2019. Eggert often creates otherworldly sculptures that explore the collision of technology and the natural world. Here is an example of her mixed media stoneware at Bush Intercontinental Airport that measures 16 inches high, wide, and deep. It shows an alien-like, organic being that has a central, flower-like body of six petals that bloom smaller flowers similar to Georgia O’Keefe’s orchids and tulips; from the center of this plant protrudes a fleshy pistil and a stigma with quills and filaments. From the bottom of the center is a scaly platform with five scorpion tails that seem ready to sting anything that gets too close. Note the details of the ceramic, including the quills, bumps, and veins. Eggert once said, “My sculptures address biotechnology by embodying both organism and machine.” Through a combination of the grotesque in the context of procreation, Eggert challenges the viewer’s idea of what is natural.
La Oportunista (2009)
por Kelley Eggert
por Kelley Eggert
Kelley Eggert desarrolló su práctica cerámica en el programa de Maestría en Bellas Artes de la Universidad de Florida, Gainesville, antes de convertirse en artista residente en el Centro de Artesanía Contemporánea de Houston en 2010. Es profesora de arte y cerámica en Lonestar Community College y Houston Community College, y formó parte de la junta directiva de Clay Houston de 2016 a 2019. Eggert crea a menudo esculturas evocadoras que exploran la interacción entre la tecnología y la naturaleza. Aquí hay un ejemplo de su cerámica de técnica mixta en el Aeropuerto Intercontinental Bush, que mide 43 cm de alto, ancho, y profundidad. Muestra un ser orgánico de aspecto alienígena, dotado de un cuerpo central similar a una flor de seis pétalos que hace brotar flores más pequeñas, semejantes a las orquídeas y tulipanes de Georgia O’Keeffe; del centro de esta planta sobresalen un pistilo carnoso y un estigma provisto de púas y filamentos. En la parte inferior del centro se halla una plataforma escamosa con cinco colas de escorpión que parecen listas para picar a cualquiera que se acerque demasiado. Observe los detalles de la cerámica, incluidas las púas, las protuberancias, y las nervaduras. Eggert dijo: “Mis esculturas abordan la biotecnología al encarnar tanto el organismo como la máquina.” Mediante una combinación de lo grotesco en el contexto de la procreación, Eggert desafía la idea del espectador de lo natural.