Man and Nature in Discord - Porcelain Sculptures by Kate MacDowell

Kate is a ceramic artist from Portland, Oregon USA and has found a distinctive place in the art world for her outstanding porcelain sculptures. Kate’s work reflects man’s relationship with the natural world and the reality of our current impact on the environment. Her pieces are in part, responses to environmental threats including air pollution, global warming, clearcutting, pesticide misuse, and animal extinction. They also borrow from myth, art history, figures of speech and other cultural touchstones. In each case the union between man and nature is shown to be one of friction and with the implication that we too are vulnerable to being victimized by our destructive practices.

"I’m interested in tying specific contemporary issues and conflicts to more universal themes and classical forms. My fascination with the natural world and natural forms drives my personal desire to sculpt. I’m also interested in creating contrasts and conflicts in my work so I pair beauty with the grotesque, and the natural with manmade forms", the artist tells us.

Kate’s work has been shown throughout the US, the UK, Europe, and Japan. It has also been displayed in the ArtAmsterdam, ArtHamptons, Art London, Showoff Paris and NEXT Chicago contemporary art fairs.  A collection of the exceptional artist’s porcelain sculptures can be seen below.