Artist takes part in public ownership

By CHHUN SUN

Ken Foster knows about human relationships. He spent more than 25 years as a studio potter, selling his work to his customers. But he can’t explain the relationships with much articulation.

That’s why he leaves it up to his artwork to do the talking.

In his latest exhibit, “Pairings,” the graduate student and artist dedicates 60 pieces of his ceramic artwork to universal connections. It highlights the bond between mother and daughter. It highlights the relationship between a person and his or her God. And it remembers Foster’s relationship with his grandfather. But there is one piece of artwork that stands apart once you step inside the Phebe Conley Art Gallery, which is where the art exhibit is being held through Friday.

With “45 Bowls, an I.P.O.,” Foster comments on public ownership within a contemporary capitalist economic system. This is an ongoing concept, which will be displayed at other venues. Each bowl is for sale for $100. Once bowl No. 46 is purchased, the owners will vote on the artwork’s progression. This is Foster’s way of interacting with his customers.

“It is my intention to continue exhibiting this sculpture over the remainder of my life,” he wrote in a statement posted next to the artwork. “The form of the work may evolve over time and the number of bowls within each series may vary to fit different exhibition spaces.”

“The concept of this work is basic but there are many ideas,” he said. “But first and foremost, these are my thoughts ownerships, like stocks and bonds. The customers will have a voting interest in this ongoing project. I will be in a relationship with the owners.”

While “45 Bowls, an I.P.O.” is a direct contact with his customers, other artwork convey the message through imagery and colors.

“Their Cross to Bear, Their Dreams to Fulfill” is a life-size jar standing on the floor. It has a drawing of a mother and daughter. Foster said the artwork conveys the shared burden and dreams.

“It’s a beautiful relationship between the mother and daughter, but sometimes it can be a burden, like when the mother lives a dream through her daughter,” Foster said.

The artwork has a motif: an image that looks like a skyscraper. The motif is planted on top of the artwork — and presented in various forms through the artworks. Foster said the motif references an image that he sees when he drives to big cities, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“I’m trying not to represent the image to 9/11,” he said, “but it represents 9/11 in a way.”

The motif is one example that showcases his lack of articulation. He doesn’t fully understand why he created the artwork a certain way; he rather let the pieces speak.

But there’s a reason.

“If I figure it out, it would be boring,” Foster said. “Then I’d move on.”