In this exhibition, artist Paul Scott assesses the American landscape from a contemporary approach, one that deals with issues of globalization, energy generation and consumption, capitalism, and immigration, as well as the human impact on the environment.
The images that Scott creates for his ceramic plates, platters, and pitchers depict unsettling views of nuclear power plants, landfills, abandoned industrial sites, aging urban centers, and isolating walls. As representations of the American landscape, they suggest a subversion of the picturesque aesthetic—the unpicturesque picturesque—and a new, disturbing norm, a new way of envisioning ourselves, our physical environment, and our society.
Additionally, Scott reworks historic printed ceramics through collage and the process of erasing, reprinting, and reglazing pieces to incorporate additions. The past and present join together on single works where airplanes soar across platters and wind turbines loom over pastoral fields.
