jason briggs' grotesque porcelain objects are surrealistically erotic

(above) ‘puff’, 2009

the art of jason briggs expresses strong sexual references, with hints of fetishism—at once abstract, but laced with figurative forms and life-like textures, bordering on being erotic and pornographic, with a sense of surrealism.

‘puff’ (detail)
porcelain, hair, revlon
bae: steel, rubber

invoking a sense of temptation and desire to grab, pinch, poke, push, squeeze and stroke their flesh-like surfaces, jason briggs‘ sculptures also question the often sterile experience of not being able to have physical contact with an artwork.

about his creative practice, jason briggs states:
‘I am searching for a fresh perspective. I strive to create an object I’ve never quite seen before – one whose inherent mystery and intrigue quietly insists upon viewer interaction. an object begging to be explored and examined in much the same way a child investigates the world: with wonder, curiosity, and also trepidation. It’s very important that the work be challenging. a sense of unease is critical because it encourages the viewer to consider carefully what they are seeing – at what is compelling them. I would like my work to exist not as the ubiquitous ‘art object’, but as something more enigmatic – foreign yet familiar, handmade yet somehow organic. Rather than suggest nature, in my own way I am seeking to create it.’

‘pearl’, 2012
porcelain, hair, nail polish
base: satin

briggs uses pure white high-fire porcelain to render each object. he starts with a loose idea of the forms he wishes to use—compact, concealed, deflated, elongated, full, pregnant, slender, squat—eventually assembling two or three of these together by pushing and wrapping them into one another to create an abstract shape. over the course of several weeks, he carves and refines the surface, eventually using a small brush as a smoothing tool. once the desired form is achieved, he fires the piece between 2-5 times at lower temperatures with various stains, lustres, and occasionally china paints to produce the flesh-like hues. additions like hair—briggs chooses it because it is both commonplace and distasteful—are slowly plucked and glued one by one into the surface.

‘pearl’ (detail)