Knuffel Series

 

Series of 5 ceramic vases of varied sizes embraced by the artist at different stages of clay drying.

 

"Knuffels" (hugs in Dutch) is a set of pieces where each vase substitutes the body of another being hugged in the absence of a present body. These substitutes represent those lost and/or distant bodies during the time of the pandemic. They capture that farewell that was never given or the comforting embrace after a loss that couldn't be expressed. The subtle gradation in the color of the vases mimics the warmth sensation of an embrace on the human body.

 

The vase is chosen as a substitute due to its utilitarian quality, as functional objects tend to create connections with their users through touch. Even more so during times of Covid when objects became our companions. This series seeks to manifest the intimate relationships that develop between objects and humans, as well as the pre-existing relationship between each object and its creator.

 

Each vase comes with an image/video of the process that records the moment it was hugged.