Eloise Heinrich

My practice is an exploration of self, connection, and all the messy, yet beautiful, moments stuck in between. I use clay to mimic these moments, explore their fragility, and their stubborn desire to be seen. My fascination with communication, connection, and self-reflection was born from anxious thinking and breed into a full-blown obsession. In this hunt for truth I hope to gain understanding of myself and the connections which entwine every aspect of our lives.

 

I consider touch the focal point of my practice. I use it to understand my surroundings and connect with others. Through my ceramic forms I continue my study of physical and emotional connections. These sculptures are imitations of people I can no longer touch or ones I can’t escape. In making and marking these surrogates, I find myself bizarrely bound to them. Through this monotonous and labor intensive mark making process I insert my energy into something else. I can make my problems physical and then deal with them. I believe physical contact is a passage but these imitation passages offer no closure, only a ghost of sensation. I explore the elusive, sensual, and heartbreaking aspects of connection to self and others. My avarice to have it all and understand it all drives my practice like a pendulum from inner to outer relationships.