Funk You Too! Humor and Irreverence in Ceramic Sculpture brings together 50 artworks from the 1960s to the present day that highlight clay as a compelling tool of critique and satire. In the exhibition, pieces by artists of the originating Funk Art generation are placed next to work by contemporary artists who are expanding on Funk’s legacy of humor, subversion, and expressive figuration.

Funk ceramics first emerged on the West Coast in the 1960s, created by a group of artists who shared an anti-establishment viewpoint towards expectations of “good art.” While conscious of the irreverent attitude and aesthetics of their predecessors, the new generation of artists featured in Funk You Too! are examining the potential for humor in clay through a rainbow of perspectives. Carrying Funk into the future, these artists are tapping into the power of a good joke to address some of the most pressing social and political issues of our day.  

ARTISTS ON VIEW

Diana Yesenia Alvarado (US, b. 1992)
Alex Anderson (US, b. 1990)
Natalia Arbelaez (US, b. 1983)
Robert Arneson (US, 1930–1992)
Clayton Bailey (US, 1939–2020)
Genesis Belanger (US, b. 1978)
Sharif Farrag (US, b. 1993)
Viola Frey (US, 1933–2004)
Melvino Garretti (US, b. 1946)
David Gilhooly (US, 1943–2001)
Salvador Jiménez-Flores (Mexico, b. 1985)
Howard Kottler (US, 1930–1989)
Yvette Mayorga (US, b. 1991)
Ruby Neri (US, b. 1970)
Woody De Othello (US, b. 1991)
Maija Peeples-Bright (Latvia, b. 1942)
Didi Rojas (Colombia, b. 1993)
Sally Saul (US, b. 1946)
Sandra Shannonhouse (US, b. 1947)
Richard Shaw (US, b. 1941)
Alake Shilling (US, b. 1993)
Magdalena Suarez Frimkess (Venezuela, b. 1929)
Chris Unterseher (US, b. 1943)
Peter VandenBerge (Netherlands, b. 1935)
Patti Warashina (US, b. 1940)
Maryam Yousif (US, b. 1985)

Funk You Too! Humor and Irreverence Ceramic Sculpture is guest curated by Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy.

The exhibition is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Research for the exhibition and publication was supported by a Craft Research Fund grant from the Center for Craft. 

Images: Installation views of Funk You Too! Humor and Irreverence in Ceramic Sculpture by Jenna Bascom