A Uriel Caspi sculpture exists between two impulses: a record of something ancient and a speculation about something not yet built. Working at large scale, often in series, Caspi extrapolates the genetics of the human body into abstract, biomorphic forms, vessels that read as organs, embryos, and unidentified specimens, an investigation he describes as the spectrum between vessel and body.
The work feels excavated and invented in equal measure, archaeology aimed forward instead of back.
His process merges techniques that are centuries old, including the traditional rope-coiling method known as Jarre-a-la-corde, with digital fabrication and RAM press technology, then finishes pieces in iridescent Arabian luster glaze formulated with precious earth metals, a notoriously difficult technique he has spent years mastering through repeated firing experiments.
Caspi holds a BFA in Ceramics from the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem and an MFA from Alfred University, New York. His work has shown at the Armory Show with Yossi Milo Gallery, the Faenza International Ceramics Museum, and the Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taipei, and he has held residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation and the European Ceramic Work Centre.
