When Brian Rochefort travels, he tends to visit remote parts of the planet. The depths of the Amazon, the volcanic archipelago of the Galápagos and the immensely diverse ecosystem of Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater all attracted him and once back in his Los Angeles studio inspired the artist to create his lushly textured sculptures.
Rochefort (formerly) is known for its somber, thick barrels that seem to ooze and gurgle with vibrant colors. A new oeuvre that debuts on Sean Kelly, Los Angeles this month, the artist continues his interest in how abstract forms can translate the myriad textures and compositions of the natural world.
Staring at the moon presents Rochefort’s vision of barrier reefs, tropical forests and volcanic matter in fantastic works. Cloaked in crackled, dripping and raw bits of color, each piece emerges through multiple applications of texture, followed by as many firings, and sometimes the glazes remain thicker than the ceramic base.
“One of the things I try to do is remove the hand. There are no brush strokes. There are no fingerprints,” he said in a short film about the series. “It’s as if the piece comes from space… or from the depths of the ocean.”
Staring at the moon runs from September 14 to November 2. Discover an archive of Rochefort’s work at Instagram.
