The Kitchen Sink

Locks Gallery

Philadelphia, PA

September 4 – October 20, 2012

For her second solo exhibition at Locks Gallery, Agee designed an installation of white porcelain sculptures and mixed-media objects, creating a visual conversation on feminism, craft, labor and modern family life.

Ann Agee's work plays with historical conventions of decorative and fine art, as seen through contemporary eyes—the white porcelain quotes both eighteenth-century English porcelain, and chinaware found in second-hand stores. The resulting body of work resembles a range of fantasized objects that tell of the artist's daily life, which is inseparable from her art. The gallery space is transformed into a partial replica of the artist's home studio, and a hybrid market place.

Stenciled floor-to-ceiling scrolls reproduce parts of Agee's studio in unrealistic, bright colors. A jumble of white, flowery sculpture-objects in porcelain cover large tables. Figurines represent daily life activities, from gardening to street protesting, children studying, and the artist modeling her pieces at the wheel. Some are kept under glass domes, while smaller porcelain objects are stored in jars. Hand-made shoes, dresses, and steel chairs, among other things, complete the tableau. A hand-made catalog advertises the objects on view, most of which bear the Agee Manufacturing Co. stamp, as a signature of the artist’s “production."

Exhibited Works

Exhibited Works Thumbnails

Ann Agee
Planting Trees (Large), 2012
glazed porcelain
21 x 16 x 11 1/2 ins.
53.3 x 40.6 x 29.2 cm

Ann Agee
Maker and Daughter, 2012
glazed porcelain
14 x 12 1/2 x 8 1/2 ins.
35.6 x 31.8 x 21.6 cm

Ann Agee
Clock with Feet, 2012
glazed porcelain
18 x 14 1/2 x 16 1/2 ins.
45.7 x 36.8 x 41.9 cm

Ann Agee
Who&#39;s Got the Scissors Clock, 2012
glazed porcelain
23 1/2 x 11 1/4 x 6 1/4 ins.
59.7 x 28.6 x 15.2 cm

Ann Agee
Who's Got the Scissors Clock, 2012
glazed porcelain
23 1/2 x 11 1/4 x 6 1/4 ins.
59.7 x 28.6 x 15.2 cm

Ann Agee
White Creek, 2012
glazed porcelain, steel armature
80 x 50 x 12 ins.
203.2 x 127 x 30.5 cm

Ann Agee
Lamp Base Sculpture, Flower Style (small) #1, 2012
glazed porcelain
15 x 6 x 7 ins.
38.1 x 15.2 x 17.8 cm

Ann Agee
Planting Trees (Large), 2012
glazed porcelain
21 x 16 x 11 1/2 ins.
53.3 x 40.6 x 29.2 cm

Ann Agee
Maker and Daughter, 2012
glazed porcelain
14 x 12 1/2 x 8 1/2 ins.
35.6 x 31.8 x 21.6 cm

Ann Agee
Clock with Feet, 2012
glazed porcelain
18 x 14 1/2 x 16 1/2 ins.
45.7 x 36.8 x 41.9 cm

Ann Agee
Who's Got the Scissors Clock, 2012
glazed porcelain
23 1/2 x 11 1/4 x 6 1/4 ins.
59.7 x 28.6 x 15.2 cm

Ann Agee
White Creek, 2012
glazed porcelain, steel armature
80 x 50 x 12 ins.
203.2 x 127 x 30.5 cm

Ann Agee
Lamp Base Sculpture, Flower Style (small) #1, 2012
glazed porcelain
15 x 6 x 7 ins.
38.1 x 15.2 x 17.8 cm

Installation Views

Installation Views Thumbnails

The Kitchen Sink (Installation View) Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, September 4 &ndash; October 20, 2012. Courtesy Locks Gallery, Philadelphia.&nbsp;

The Kitchen Sink (Installation View) Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, September 4 – October 20, 2012. Courtesy Locks Gallery, Philadelphia.