Alysse Einbender
My sculptures celebrate the extraordinary will that humans possess to choose recovery over resignation, light over darkness, joy over angst, and to thrive - not just survive in the aftermath of a life-changing event.
Shortly after earning a degree in landscape architecture and working in the field, my short career was upended by a spinal stroke that resulted in permanent paralysis. Finding a new path forward was fraught with sadness and despondency. That is, until I immersed myself in ceramic sculpture. Making something beautiful out of nothing is a metaphor for my journey and fills me with a sense of purpose and meaning.
I personify the tenacity of the human spirit by creating portrait-busts (real or imagined) with a range of relatable expressions. Likewise, my abstract sculptures capture the dynamism, joy, and dance-like fluidity of the human form in motion. Light and shadow, positive and negative spaces, raw or adorned surfaces coalesce to suggest something unique and personal to every viewer.
I work in clay for its timelessness and sustainability, its suppleness, strength, and its willingness to be transformed. Just as I push and shape the clay particles to become something new, the clay reminds me that as humans, we too can perpetually reshape our circumstances.