EKWC@Princessehof

In the first solo exhibition of the American artist Linda Swanson (1967), she opens our eyes to the natural processes of the world. Earth, fire, and water work together in her ceramic works; solid material melts, liquid hardens, and what is light becomes dark.

Although we continue to learn more and more, the world reveals itself to us only partially. Swanson shows that ceramics are an interplay of elements and that the final results often have completely unexpected outcomes. This makes clay an ideal medium for Swanson to inspire our awe for nature and the power of natural processes. The exhibition includes seven pieces from her Spectres series (2020): ‘ceramic paintings’ in which she experiments with glaze, metal oxides, heat, and gravity. In the installation Hortus (2025), she allows a layer of powdered clay to slowly change shape under the influence of water. In this way, Swanson plays with the natural cycle of absorption and evaporation.

Cover image: Linda Swanson, Mineral Bloom, Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden