NEHMA | Collection - Soliloquy #2

Dirk Staschke

American, b. 1971

Soliloquy #2
2016

Stoneware, Scrap, Wood, Epoxy
29 x 24 x 16 in.
Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation
2018.10

Dirk Staschke is best known for his ceramic treatment of the vanitas theme common in still life paintings by baroque Dutch painters (c. 1585–1730). This allegorical genre uses transient symbolic objects to illustrate the fleetingness of pleasure and the certainty of death, including over-the-top arrangements of cakes, pastries, fruit, vegetables, fish, and meats. Though these still lifes, sometimes depicting flies and other insects, endeavor to capture the temporal nature of life, ironically, fired ceramics are known to be among the most permanent materials of human culture.

Dirk Staschke is a full-time studio artist whose current body of work explores the realm between sculpture and painting, often employing meticulous representation (as in Dutch still lifes) to highlight skill and craft. He received his BFA from the University of Montevallo, followed by an MFA from Alfred University, while maintaining an ongoing studio practice and extensive exhibition record during the last twenty-two years. During this time, he has also taught at many notable institutions, including Emily Carr University, Alfred University, and New York University. His work has been shown internationally and is in permanent collections including the Smithsonian Museum (Washington DC), and the World Ceramic Center (Gwango-dong, South Korea).

Billie Sessions, PhD.

Keywords
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Bread, food, meat