By Carly Riegger (they/she)
Ceramic, Wool, Yarn, Beads, Thread
2021
Reclaiming the language from doctors, Viscous Matrix is a figurative representation of chronic pain from the connective tissues. Humans are all only made of cells. This figure is taken over by the painful cells, consuming their body. The inside of the body is hidden, with all its mishaps and malfunctions, this narrative piece explores invisible chronic illness.
I created this work because I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which has been an ongoing experience for nine years. The buildup of pain within my body is an overwhelming experience. I am in constant, severe, widespread pain that is completely invisible and often debilitates my day-to-day activities. These invisible bodily malfunctions are affected down to the microscopic level; while others cannot see it, that does not mean it is not there.
I collect and create multiple parts in my sculptures to express the destructive effects that pain has on the body. My figurative artwork captures a moment of the body in extreme pain. A high temperature environment leaves marks on the surface of the clay, showing evidence of the circumstances the body had to go through to survive. Depicting chronic pain that I feel creates visibility. I claim my voice with clay to show the pure humanity of pain. My work is here to document, preserve, and express the inner experiences of pain and disability. Through my sculptures, I can connect with people experiencing pain or illness, and show the importance of disability awareness regarding all people. Disability reflects the uncertainty and lack of control that everyone’s body is subject to. Time will cause everyone’s cells and body to erode.
A baby blue ambiguous figure with cut out eyes and mouth. Beads and wool trickle down from the mouth, eyes, nose, and ears. The ceramic figure is coated in a thin layer of wax and looks like skin from a distance. From the chest down the figure fades into bumpy cells. The pink cells are glossy with glaze. Ceramic spheres as cells form at the bottom of the piece. Hanging strands of blue and purple yarn hang down with crocheted pink spheres. Peaking out from the inside of the figure are wool purple spheres that were crocheted.
A baby blue ceramic figure is coated in a thin layer of wax and looks like skin from a distance. From the chest down the figure fades into bumpy cells. The pink cells are glossy with glaze. Ceramic spheres as cells form at the bottom of the piece. Hanging strands of blue and purple yarn hang down with crocheted pink spheres. Peaking out from the inside of the figure are wool purple spheres that were crocheted.
A baby blue ceramic figure is coated in a thin layer of wax and looks like skin from a distance. From the chest down the figure fades into bumpy cells. The pink cells are glossy with glaze. Ceramic spheres as cells form at the bottom of the piece. Hanging strands of blue and purple yarn hang down with crocheted pink spheres. Peaking out from the inside of the figure are wool purple spheres that were crocheted.
Carly Riegger (they/she) is a chronically ill and disabled artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan where she took a strong interest in ceramics in high school. She attended Bowling Green State University and graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts Degree. One of her most important experiences was traveling abroad to Florence, Italy for a semester at Studio Arts International College (SACI). She was inspired create figures that explore her internal body pain. This opportunity developed into her BFA Thesis Exhibition, where she depicted her own chronic pain in small scenes using her ceramic dolls which incorporated fabric. Carly is currently working on a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Ceramics at Indiana University Southeast. She is creating installations that incorporate her life-size ceramic figures with screen printed fabric and crocheted yarn. Carly is dedicated to continuing her work advocating for those with disabilities as she moves forward in her art career.