Working in the realm of figurative sculpture, Jessica Stoller (b. 1981) mines the rich and complicated history of porcelain, harnessing its links to power, desire, and taste. Synthesizing the cultural, historical, and corporeal notions of the female body, Stoller expands the feminist visual vernacular and makes space for subversion, defiance, and play. For Stoller the ‘grotesque’ becomes a powerful tool to challenge patriarchal power structures, as female figures flaunt what they are told to hide, reveling in their own pleasure and abjection. Stoller lives and works in West New York, NJ. She received her BFA from the College for Creative Studies, and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work has been included in exhibitions at the Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI; UTA Artist Space, Los Angeles, CA; Jeffrey Deitch, New York, NY; Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL; Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY; Foundation Bernardaud, Limoges, France; and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY, among others. She has had solo exhibitions at P·P·O·W, New York, NY; Hionas Gallery, New York, NY; and The Clay Studio, PA. A 2016 Pollock-Krasner grantee, 2013 Peter S. Reed grantee, and 2013 Louis C. Tiffany nominee, Stoller has also participated in residencies such as the Museum of Arts and Design’s Artist Studios Program, the Kohler Arts & Industry Program, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts’ Artist in the Marketplace Program, among others.
Jessica Stoller
b. 1981, MI
Lives and works in West New York, NJ
Education
2006
M.F.A. Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
2004
B.F.A. (Honors) College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI
Solo Exhibitions
2020
Spread, P·P·O·W, New York, NY
2014
Spoil, P·P·O·W, New York, NY
2012
Lend Me Your Eyes, Hionas Gallery, New York, NY
2011
New Work: Jessica Stoller, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Select Group Exhibitions
2024
Infinite Woman, Fondation Carmignac, Hyères, France (forthcoming)
Le vernissage, partie un, Brigitte Mulholland, Paris, France
2023
Holding, Van Doren Waxter, New York, NY
2022
Finger Bang, Perrotin, Paris, France
Plants Now!, Vielmetter, Los Angeles, CA
2021
With Eyes Opened: Cranbrook Academy of Art Since 1932, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Beyond the Looking Glass, curated by Zuzanna Ciolek, UTA Artist Space, Los Angeles, CA
Clay Pop, curated by Alia Williams, Jeffrey Deitch, New York, NY
Surface is Only a Material Vehicle For Spirit, curated by Kennedy Yanko, Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL
The Shoo Sho, curated by Julie Curtiss, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY
2019
Ceramiques Gourmandes, curated by Olivier Castaing, Foundation Bernardaud, Limoges, France
2018
Pageant of Inconceivables, curated by Portia Munson and Katharine Umsted, The Kleinart/James Center for the Arts, Woodstock, NY
C’es le Bouquet, Foundation Bernardaud, Limoges, France
2017
Gut Feelings, Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw, GA
2016
Strange Genitals, The New York Studio Residency Program, Brooklyn, NY
LIFEFORCE, The Untitled Space Gallery, New York, NY
The Woman Destroyed, curated by Anneliis Beadnell, P·P·O·W, New York, NY
NY, NY: CLAY, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
2015
AIM: 35 Years, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund Gallery, New York, NY
Configured, NYFA Fellowship Finalist Exhibition, Onishi Gallery, New York, NY
2014
Sargent's Daughters, New York, NY
2013
Perceptive Pleasure: Jessica Stoller & Robert Raphael, Jane Hartsook Gallery, NY
2012
Year One, Hionas Gallery, New York, NY
2011
Reconstruct/ Deconstruct History, Like the Spice Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Fresh Figurines: A New Look at a Historic Art Form, curated by Gail M. Brown, Fuller Museum, Brockton, MA
Chain Letter, curated by Christian Cummings & Doug Harvey, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Bronx Calling: First AIM Biennial, curated by Jose Ruiz & Wayne Northcross, The Bronx Museum of the Arts & Wave Hill, Bronx, NY
2010
The Duck and the Decorated Shed, NUTUREart Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Drifting Away, Like the Spice Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
The Worlds We Live in, The Worlds We Create, Like the Spice Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Main-Lining-Ceramics, Main Line Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
To Die For, Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2008
Site: Crashing Chelsea, 520 W 23rd Street, New York, NY
2007
Fantasy World, Brooklyn Artist Gym, Brooklyn, NY
2006
Nest, Paul Kotula Projects, Ferndale, MI
Daimler Chrysler Emerging Artist Exhibition, Berlin, Germany
2005
Actual Size Biennale, Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, Detroit, MI
Graduate Student Exhibition, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2004
Here Comes the Sun, Commonwealth Contemporary Art Gallery, Detroit, MI
New Work: Mike Smith and Jessica Stoller, New Museum of Modern Art Annex Space, Pontiac, MI
2003
Actual Size Show, Detroit Contemporary, Detroit, MI
Centrifuge: Tony Hepburn Collaboration, College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI
Select Public Collections
Kohler Company, Kohler, WI
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI
Select Bibliography
2023
Canning, Susan. “Clay Pop,” Jeffrey Deitch, Rizzoli Books, New York, NY, illus, pg. 204-211
2016
Carrigan, Margaret. “Putting Art in the Culinary Arts”, Blouin Art Info, October 18.
Worley, Sam. “Huckleberry Muffins and Male Gaze Macarones in an Arty New Cookbook,” Epicurious, October 11.
Furman, Anna. “Male Gaze Macarons featured in the Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook,” The Guardian, October 11.
Garrett, Natalie E. “The Artists’ and Writer’s Cookbook: A Collection of Stories with Recipes,” Powerhouse Books.
Harris, Jane. “The Delicate Monster: Recent Work of Jessica Stoller,” Detroit Research Journal, Vol. 2, September.
2015
Welch, Adam. "Jessica Stoller at PPOW," Ceramics: Art & Perception, Issue #99, March.
2014
Sutton, Benjamin. "Best of 2014: Our Top 20 NYC Art Shows That Weren’t in Brooklyn, " December 24.
Steinhauer, Jillian. "Uncovering the Feminine Grotesque," Hyperallergic Blog, February 6.
Wilkes, Rob. “Just Like a Woman?,” We Heart; Lifestyle & Design Magazine, January 22.
Prentnieks, Anne. “Artforum Critics’ Picks: Jessica Stoller,” Artforum, January.
Colucci, Emily. “Rococo Raunch: Abject Femininity and Porcelain Provocations,” Filthy Dreams Blog, January 11.
Rudick, Clarke. “What Are Little Girls Made Of? Jessica Stoller at PPOW,” Opening Ceremony New News Blog, January 10.
“SFAQ Pick: ‘Spoil’ solo exhibition by Jessica Stoller at P.P.O.W, New York,” San Francisco Arts Quarterly, January 9.
Frank, Priscilla. “10 Gorgeously Grotesque Sculptures That Prove Being a Girl Can Get Nasty,” Huff Post Arts & Culture, January 8.
Galperina, Marina. “Horrifying Poly-Boob Sundae, A Feminine Ceramics Art Show,” Animal New York, January 6.
2012
Cemblast, Robin. “What a Short, Strange Miami Trip It’s Been,” Art News, December.
Maliszewski, Lynn. "Form Over Function," On Verge, CUE Foundation Blog, April 4.
2011
Friswell, Richard. "Fresh Figurines: Politically Provocative and Deeply Personal, Universal Themes Explored in Clay," Artes Magazine, December.
Copeland, Collette. “Jessica Stoller: New Work, Ceramics: Art & Perception,” Issue #85, September.
Johnson, Ken. "Learning about the Marketplace and Entering It," The New York Times, August 2011.
2010
Larkin, Daniel. “Is Ornament a Crime?” Hyperallergic Blog, October 13.
Cercone, Katie. “Aesthetics of Addiction," N. Paradoxa, Vol. 26, p. 84-91, July.
"The World We Live In, The Worlds We Create Review," The L Magazine, March.
2006
Mazzei, Rebecca. “Mutant Scribe” Metro Times Detroit, June.
2005
Sousanis, Nick. “The Last Show at Commonwealth," thedetroiter.com, July 2.
2004
Tourtillot, J.E. Suzanne. “500 Cups: Sterling Publishing”
Residencies and Seminars
2012
The Museum of Arts and Design, Open Studio Program, Resident Artist, New York, NY
2011
Kohler Arts/Industry Program, Resident Artist, Kohler, WI
Artist in the Marketplace Program, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY
2010
The Museum of Arts and Design, Open Studio Program, Resident Artist, New York, NY
Awards and Grants
2016
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
2014
New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, Craft/Sculpture Finalist
2013
Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, Biennial Award Nominee
Peter S. Reed Foundation, Grantee/Sculpture
2006
Daimler Chrysler Emerging Artist Nominee
2005
Pauline Hepburn Memorial Scholarship, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Visiting Critics and Lectures
2012
University of Delaware, Newark, DE
2008
Portland State University, Portland, OR
2007
Monmouth University, Monmouth, NJ
California State Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
The first New York art fair week of 2023 is upon us.
Some may be anticipating a shift toward abstraction in the contemporary art market at large, but figuration is still front and centre at the Independent art fair this year.
Long sidelined by flat works which are easier to sell digitally, the 3D is resurgent
The much-anticipated 14th iteration of Independent New York, a cutting-edge art fair, is on view from May 11-14 at Spring Studios.
This Women’s History Month, CULTURED delves into the magazine’s archives to highlight 10 female artists who confront gender inequities by redefining the erotic, quashing the idea of women’s work, and refusing to go quietly.
These makers are finding beauty and strangeness in the everyday, producing winking renderings of prawns, ashtrays and more.
Jessica Stoller redefines feminism in her work, playing on both the grotesque and the surreal within her practice. She uses her ceramic sculpture to explore and subvert idealist forms of beauty. Her work encourages the viewer to question cultural notions surrounding body image, gender, and femininity. Stoller was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1981. She received her BFA at the College for Creative Studies (2004) and her MFA at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan, (2006). Stoller’s work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times and The Guardian, among others. Solo shows have been mounted at P·P·O·W, (New York) and The Clay Studio (Philadelphia). Group exhibitions have been shown at the Foundation Bernardaud (France) and the Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw (Georgia).
Like almost every other woman in the world, Zuzanna Ciolek grew up receiving the message that women needed to look a certain way, and act a certain way, in order to be worthy of love.
Anticipated exhibitions in sculpture, drawing, painting, and photography looking at feminism, art history, glamour and nature; an IRL art fair; a talk on making artists books; sound art in the park; a fundraiser for fire-devastated local artists; more than one 80s flashback; and an arts-inspired pop-up in historic architecture.
“Spread,” Stoller’s recent exhibition, was introduced by a group of sculptures with profiles resembling ordinary vases or urns. The bodies of these vessels, however, morph into tasseled breasts or buttocks surrounded by delicate lace, their forms further embellished by such incongruous features as a base with four gilded feet ending in long, painted nails, lids ornamented with butterflies and writhing snakes, and handles that double as ears with large, dangling earrings. In addition to slyly reworking the traditional vase, Stoller’s often grotesque revisions upend the patronizing view of women as decorative accessories; instead, they celebrate the allure of the non-canonical, extravagant female body.
Artist Jessica Stoller speaks with Cultured about her labor-intensive, highly detailed porcelain sculptures that present a corporeal, witty feminism.
From piano-playing nipples to ceramics with body hair, these are the rising art stars the Elephant team thinks you should check out.
The new decade is shaping up to be quite the global spectacle already with corona-virus in China, protests in Hong Kong, impeachments and election dramas in the US, and the seemingly never-ending Brexit withdrawal unfolding in the UK. In uncertain times artists have always been tried-and-true soothsayers of the way forward, and in 2020 that proves no exception. If you’re ready to see the work of a few interesting, and perhaps unfamiliar artists, here are 6 contemporary talents (and one little-known, historical artist) with shows you can see around the world this February.
Close-up renderings of bodies covered in sheer fabric and delicate porcelain vases depicting bums, breasts and skin account for some of the best (and most challenging) art on view in Chelsea.
Jessica Stoller’s porcelain sculptures both examine art-historical notions of the material and how the female body has been depicted. Her current show at PPOW Gallery in New York City, titled “Spread,” offers new pieces from the artist. The show runs through Feb. 15 at the space.
We live in such a fascinating era of sculpture art, with a collection of emerging artists working with ceramics and porcelain in exciting ways.
This summer in Limoges, France, the Fondation Bernardaud presents a feast of cakes, pies, ice cream, and other life-like treats made by a group of 14 ceramic sculptors from around the world. Titled Céramiques Gourmandes and curated by Olivier Castaing, the exhibition explores the sometimes unsavory topics of mass consumption, desire, and cultural identity.
Let these 24 artists show you what a gender-fluid future looks like.
The Woman Destroyed, currently on view at PPOW Gallery, takes as its organizing theme the 1967 Simone de Beauvoir book of the same title, comprised of three stories that explore the personal crises of middle-aged and aging women.
Stoller’s PPOW show has distinct connections and resonances with Allison Schulnik’s solo exhibition not too far away in Chelsea, at ZieherSmith.
Jessica Stoller’s sensual ceramic works illustrate how harmony can be found through opposing extremes, pairing saccharine gluttony with the sadomasochistic tug of bondage and allusions to death’s possibility.