Ella Venus
Woman
Clay, glaze (Raku Technique)
Raw materials take on an ancient visage in this small sculpture — an ode to the 29,500 year old Venus of Willendorf and similar prehistoric objects. Clay, minerals, silica, and gas combine to embody the artist’s connection to the environment’s natural products and the systems we employ to extract them. By harnessing these resources in creative ways, we can find an artistic outlet and a way to link ourselves to those early inhabitants of the Earth.
Artist Statement
This piece was inspired by the Venus of Willendorf which is a very famous figurine of a woman from Austria made around 29,500 years ago. There are many other similar figurines that were found in the same area but this figurine is very interesting because of her body proportions. The piece is controversial because there are two theories about its purpose. One is that she represents a fertility god and are used by women to help protect them through pregnancy. The other theory is that men would carry these figurines around when they had to journey from home to remind them of their wives or as a version of ancient porn. Regardless of what they were used for it feels odd how the figure dose not have a face and I hope to make a series of these figurines that reveal a face and give an identity to this woman. Working with clay has always made me feel more in touch with the natural environment and is a grounding practice. All of the pieces of the process that were used to make this piece are from raw materials such as clay, minerals, silica, and gas. This connects to my experience at RSENR because we talk a lot about the use of raw materials and the systems that are involved in extracting and refining these products.