In these MAD Moments, Chief Curator Elissa Auther is joined by Artist Studios alum Natalia Arbelaez and assistant curator Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy for an online conversation about sculpture, ceramics, and craft. Hear from the NYC-based artist about her inspirations. Get the insider’s scoop on what’s next for this ceramicist. Ask your questions during Q&A with the artist.
In her sculptures, Arbelaez explores stories of Amerindian identity, women of color, immigration, and colonization through the levity of quirky, sharp-toothed, grimacing figures inspired by Central and South American indigenous ceramics.
Arbelaez is one of the featured artists in Vizcarrondo-Laboy’s recent exhibition for the Center for Craft, Sleight of Hand, which brings together six contemporary artists using humor in ceramics as a tool of resistance, resilience, and healing, to navigate a range of pressing social issues.