This decorative ceramic plate serves as a vibrant exploration of female intimacy, brought to life through complex sgraffito carving and collaged transfers. The piece showcases an engaging spatial arrangement within its circular format, emphasized by a bright yellow patterned wall and a glossy turquoise armchair. The central figure, rendered in expressive monochromatic tones and accented by a bold red garment, is captured in a routine moment of quiet reflection before open balcony doors overlooking the sea. By infusing the scene with psychological depth, Hodge masterfully reconfigures the historical gaze on the female body, granting the subject a profound sense of emotional autonomy and purpose within contemporary art.
In this new series of wall sculpture plates, Behind Closed Doors, I reimagine source imagery from a book titled In Praise of the Backside. The book’s collection features women from behind, as captured most often by men, frequently untitled and anonymous. In my reinterpretation of these images, the women transcend their status as objects of line and shade, to become subjects with emotion, thought, and a place of belonging.
Enrich your modern art collection with this singular decorative ceramic plate by Alex Hodge. Available at The Art Design Project, Miami Beach
Decorative Ceramic Plate - Melancholy Remedy 2023 from Behind Closed Doors
Melancholy Remedy, 2023
From the Behind Closed Doors series
Hand-built plate with sgraffito and collaged transfers
Dimensions: 8.25 x 8.25 x 0.25 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.
