GH Wood

BIOGRAPHY

GH Wood is currently a post-baccalaureate student at Indiana University Southeast. He earned a BA in Chemistry and Studio Art at St. Olaf College in 2021. GH discovered his passion for ceramics in 2018, and he has been engaging with and humbled by the medium ever since. He mainly creates functional vessels that are fired in atmospheric kilns. He is fascinated by the amorphous nature of atmospheric firing and the need to surrender control throughout the process–solely relying on his preparation beforehand to produce a variety of unpredictable and extraordinary surfaces.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work explores the intersections of race, culture, and adoption as I reconcile my Chinese heritage with my childhood in a predominately white town. As a transracial adoptee growing up in America, my Chinese culture was rarely highlighted in my life, but food gave me an avenue to reconnect with my birth culture. I now use ceramics as another avenue to further explore my heritage while challenging my perception of these two cultures in order to find my place within them.

I am Western trained, and I take heavy inspiration from Asian pottery, specifically blue and white wares from the Ming dynasty. I seek to foster a unity between these major influences by allowing both to inform and inspire my work, helping me explore parallels between them. My current series of work explores European counterfeits and imitations of Chinese wares and how this influenced the creation of the Chinoiserie aesthetic.

My functional pottery encourages shared meals and fosters the building of relationships. I design sets that include plates accompanied by sculptural centerpieces, cups that lean on one another, and teapots that facilitate the sharing of drinks within a group. These vessels serve as catalysts for communal experiences and conversations, aiming to cultivate connections between people during shared meals and gatherings while bridging my two cultures

www.oghwood.com
Instagram: @oghwood