A close-up portrait of Maxwell Mustardo in his studio with hanging mugs on the wall behind him

Maxwell Mustardo

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Maxwell Mustardo sponging one of many white ceramic sculptures
A close-up portrait of Maxwell Mustardo in his studio with hanging mugs on the wall behind him

Maxwell Mustardo

“Like a pig in filth, I could not be happier playing in the studio, and I find a similar reckless abandon there.”

The sensuality of clay

Maxwell Mustardo’s ceramics highlight the sensuality of clay. His practice begins with everyday ceramic objects like mugs, cups, pitchers, and vases that we usually take for granted. Mustardo defamiliarises them by exaggerating their forms or coating them in bright textured plastic. His series Anthropophorae gives new life to classical amphorae (Roman and Greek pots). The bulbous shapes of the clay resemble something organic, fleshy, even human. It is important to Mustardo that his objects are recognisable – “I try to make things accessible to everybody as much as possible.”

Mustardo describes...

Bio

Maxwell Mustardo (he/him) was born in 1993 in rural New Jersey. He lives and works in Quakertown, New Jersey.

Education

Mustardo attended a Quaker boarding school until he was expelled for what he calls “moral bankruptcy.”

Did you know?

Mustardo began the Shot Glasses series while recovering from surgery. He couldn’t look down or lift heavy objects, so he started experimenting with small objects.


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