ROBERTA GRIFFITH

 

Transformed

ceramic

13 x 12 x 5.5 inches

 

Myself: Inside Outside

ceramic

11.5 x 9.5 x 6 inches

 

 

 

 

Pre-Columbian Odyssey: Virgins of Xochitecatl, 2005

I was inspired to make my hand-built 20-inch tall votive ceramic figures after visiting the Pre-Columbian site of Xochitécatl in Mexico. In a small museum not open to the public I saw similar tiny figures about one inch high made with incredible detail, including the removable flat, figurative heads placed in the abdomens. These figures evoke the origins of ancient people who evolved not only in Mesoamerica, but also in Hawai'i, and elsewhere in the world,

-Roberta Griffith

 

 

 

 

 

Stuck In The Sand Series, 2013

 

Haramachi Revisited

 

Haramachi Revisited

 

RuPaul 
Reliquary Series: 21st C. Contemporary Cultural Relic
2011 
ceramic, feathers, fabric, plexiglas
8 x 8 x 8 inch ceramic arm dimensions are 2.5 H x 5.5 W x 3.5 L inch ,

pillow is 2.0 H x 7.5 x 7.5 L inch

 

Lady Gaga

Reliquary Series: 21st C. Contemporary Cultural Relic
2011 
ceramic, feathers, fabric, Plexiglas
8 x 8 x 8 inch ceramic arm dimensions are 2.5 H x 5.5 W x 3.5 L inch ,

pillow is 2.0 H x 7.5 x 7.5 L inch

Matchbox 
Matchbox Series: Matchless Vestiges 2011 Box no. 2
2011
ceramic, paper, thread, ink
4" H x 4" L x 4" W, matchbox dimensions are 1.7 cms H x 6.0 cms L x 3.7 cms W
Miniature porcelain doll body parts and porcelain baseballs, fired to C/11, and the statement fit completely within in a European size cardboard matchbox when it is closed. There are two complete dolls (head, body, two arms, and two legs, plus an extra arm and leg, and four baseballs).

Statement (folded in thirds inside the matchbox): 
The title, Matchless Vestiges 2011, Box no. 2, describes these unassembled handmade white porcelain miniature doll body parts, and the undecorated, tiny ceramic baseballs randomly placed within the matchbox. Dolls appeared in the Near East as early as 6500 BC, as fired and unfired clay figurines, fetishes and toys. Dolls have been found in cultures worldwide for centuries; they are intrinsic to mankind. The baseballs provide an additional contemporary note. The anthropomorphic white doll body parts and baseballs signify a union of the past, the present and future. In addition, these objects allude to the universal cyclical nature of life and death. They are a metaphor for remnants of broken lives, broken toys, and unfulfilled promise, whether from politics, strife, wars, human intervention or natural disasters; things that go to the core of our existence.

 

Tattooed Trophy Head w/ Red Feathers
2011
clay, feathers, Ppexiglas
8"H x 8"W x 4"D
 

Masked Trophy Head w/ Black Feathers
2011
clay, feathers, plexiglas
8"H x 5"W x 4"D
 

Hung Out to Die 2011
2011
clay, tulle, steel
6', 3" H x 5' x 5" W. x 3' D

 

Hung Out to Die 2011 - detail
2011
clay, tulle, steel