The ceramic wall plate diptych Eat What’s on Your Plate #1 & #2 by artist Alex Hodge subverts the history of blue and white pottery, traditionally associated with wealth and elitism. Belonging to the Blurb series, this hand-built ceramic wall plate diptych features striking red typography inspired by Barbara Kruger’s activist aesthetic. Plate #1 displays the historic AIDS awareness slogan "Silence = Death," adopted by ACT UP, while Plate #2 responds with "Complacency = Compliance," confronting personal responsibility in political action. Crafted using slab construction, underglaze painting, hand-carving, and transfers, this 8 x 16-inch ceramic wall plate diptych blends sharp social commentary with meticulous decorative craft.
The Eat What's on Your Plate series is comprised of wall plates that draw on the history of blue and white pottery as symbols of wealth, elitism and consumerism. The plates beckon the viewer with brash red text reminiscent of Barbara Kruger’s work. The title phrase is a play on words in several capacities, directing the audience to deal with what is at hand, while simultaneously admonishing the act of taking from others. They are all hand built using the slab method, and utilize underglaze painting, carving and transfers.
Discover and purchase this original ceramic wall plate diptych on our online gallery today to bring powerful contemporary art and political commentary into your private collection.
Ceramic Wall Plate Diptych - Eat What’s on Your Plate #1 & #2 by Alex Hodge
Eat What’s on Your Plate #1, 2025
Eat What’s on Your Plate #2, 2025
From Blurb series
Hand-carved ceramic plate
Dimensions:
Overall size: 8 H x 16 W x 1 D in.
Individual size: 8 H x 8 W x 1 D in.Hodge studied and graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Ceramics, with notable exhibitions such as Unsung Muses and Eyes That Bind, graduating summa cum laude and receiving honors such as the Outstanding Undergraduate Award. Here, clay became the conduit that allowed her to speak of her experience and, more importantly, her frustrations. Always curious to acquire more knowledge and skills, she pursued a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Miami. There she obtained the summer scholarship and the William Oberman Award, and graduated summa cum laude. During this time, she moved from expressions of anger to prioritizing love between women, the deep well of internal feminine landscapes and the historical exploration of women in relation to the present through ceramic material. Since then, her works have been exhibited at the Morean Arts Center, Arts Benicia and the Imurj Gallery, among others. She currently resides in rural Georgia, where she transforms her stories into sculptures that reveal what has been historically hidden.
