Mindy Horn, Hana, USA, 2023

Mindy Horn’s ceramic vessels are not only exquisite in their delicate forms but also powerful in their ability to reflect the profound strength and resilience that lie beneath their surfaces. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, Horn’s work embodies a duality – a delicate beauty that mirrors the soft curves and feminine grace of the human form, paired with an inner strength that is capable of withstanding time and adversity. Like women, her pieces present a paradox: fragile at first glance, yet formidable in their capacity to endure and evolve.

Horn’s wall pieces and hand built vessels often begin with intentionally off-center structures, and develop through multiple building and firing cycles. Embracing the unpredictable nature of clay, they are a testament to the power of flexibility and transformation. The application of pigments and gold leaf imbue the work with a visual complexity that reflects the passage of time. These additions, alongside her intricate surface treatments, speak to the enduring elegance and capacity for renewal. It is a powerful metaphor for the power of the human spirit – how something fragile may face moments of rupture, only to emerge stronger and more authentic on the other side.

For Horn the porcelain is not a quest for perfection but an exploration of balance – between softness and strength, agility and resilience, perfection and imperfection. It reflects her interest in the various roles that women take on and those that they reject. This interplay of softness and strength becomes a metaphor for the way that beauty, in all its forms, persists independent of adversity. Through her work, Horn challenges us to consider how beauty shapes our identity, individually and collectively, and how it continues to inspire reflection and resilience in times of uncertainty.

In this way Horn’s ceramic vessels serve as a reflection of the human condition – of the layers we build upon ourselves over time and the ways in which we persist and transform. Her art, like women, do not simply exit to be admired; it stands as a powerful symbol of endurance, of the quiet yet undeniable force that shapes and sustains us.

Porcelain, Glaze, Gold Leaf and Pigments
4.50h x 20w x 19.50d in
11.43h x 50.80w x 49.53d cm