Black Landscape Vessel, 2022

Ani Dagmar Kasten

Stoneware

4.5 in H x 9 in D

Blending contemporary design with a touch of Philadelphia nostalgia, this multifunctional vessel by Ani Kasten pays tribute to the city's iconic tire planters through the expressive use of clay. Celebrating both the material's natural beauty and the ingenuity of everyday urban landscapes, Kasten transforms a familiar form into an elegant work of art.

Equally at home holding fresh flowers, seasonal fruit, or standing alone as a sculptural centerpiece, this versatile vessel brings creativity, craftsmanship, and a distinctly Philadelphia spirit to any space.

Artist Statement

I am influenced by natural and geological imagery, and my forms and compositions explore the meeting point of phenomena occurring in nature and objects wrought by the human hand. My pieces highlight unadulterated clay in conversation with crafted attention to form and surface detail. My intent is to investigate relationships, and the nature of change-our actions as human beings as we form relationships, make, build, and construct the world around us, in harmony or disharmony with the natural processes of eroding, cracking, shifting, and changing shape. My pieces possess a 'hereditary memory' in their obscured reference to utilitarian vessels and other artifacts that once had a purpose now eroded by time. My practice is about creating positivity from the surrounding landscape of unavoidable brokenness. In my process I seek the refined within the rough, the beauty in ugliness-forms imbued with extreme fragility, yet exhibiting inner strength, manifesting the contradictions and opposing forces we find in ourselves throughout the human experience.

Artist Biography

Kasten began her career in ceramics in 2000, apprenticing with British ceramist Rupert Spira. After a year in England gaining a foundation in functional studio pottery, Kasten traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, where she spent four years as head of a project for developing a stoneware ceramic facility for artisan potters in the village of Thimi, Nepal. Kasten greatly benefitted from sharing techniques and materials with artisans from various cultures, building a unique artistic vocabulary that informs her own ceramic work.

In 2005, Kasten established her studio in Oakland, CA, where she shifted from making functional studio ceramics to also creating sculptural ceramics. In 2007 Kasten became an Artist in Residence at Red Dirt Studio in Mt. Rainier, MD, where she worked closely with artist Margaret Boozer. Here, she further developed her distinct combination of sculpture and vessel work, showing her ceramics nationally at galleries and fine craft shows. Kasten's storefront studio and gallery, Artbar, was a draw for visitors and collectors, and became one of the neighborhood's creative hotspots. In 2016, Kasten moved to the St. Croix River Valley, northeast of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she is currently a host potter for the historic St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. Kasten lives in Shafer, Minnesota, on a small farm with a house and barn where her studio and showroom are located. She continues to exhibit her work nationally and internationally in galleries and fine craft exhibitions.

This piece was donated by the Family of Marge and Phil Kalodner.

• All winning bids are paid in full before artwork leaves The Clay Studio.
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