Ruan Hoffmann: Historical Irreverence

South African artist Ruan Hoffmann has practiced ceramic art for the last 20 years.  His exploration of the medium was sparked by an interest in the transformative powers involved in ceramics and how the elements combine to create this fragile magic.

Hoffmann was aVisiting Guest Artist at The Clay Studio in 2014.  His work often references past ceramictraditions, such as Delftware, that use forms and patterns to signify a richinternational cultural exchange. He alters these historical precedents inplayful and irreverent ways to bring about a visual tension in his work. Theopportunity to spend time in Philadelphia presented a contemporary internationalcultural exchange, resulting in a considerable number of new works and deeperexploration of these themes.