Ochi Projects is pleased to present our first solo project with Julia Haft-Candell. Double Knot will open in our mezzanine on January 16^th with a reception from 6-8 pm, and remain on view through February 20^th.

Most recently Haft-Candell finds herself inspired by physical forms that have function; shapes such as knots, braids, combs or scribbles hold her interest for their usefulness and predictability. They reliably bind things together and offer a sense of cohesive pattern, but are rarely contemplated as also being visually appealing. Haft-Candell creates monuments out of these everyday shapes. At first rendering them as flat drawings, the artist then progresses to clay and begins to build a three dimensional version of her lines.

In creating these sculptures, Haft-Candell ultimately denies their functionality and embraces their form. Each piece is rendered in a manner that eagerly displays, if not exaggerates, the fact that it was shaped by hand. Fingerprints, textures and endearingly awkward curves imbue each sculpture with a personality that is advanced by Haft-Candell’s process of glazing and firing. Each form also employs and generates a distinct sense of negative space that gives them a thoughtful sense of depth. Despite her proficiency with her medium there is ultimately a sense of humility to Haft-Candell’s sculptures that honors the medium and her chosen forms.

ARTIST WALK THROUGH, JANUARY 31, 12PM