The Power to Be: A Lecture by Anthony Sonnenberg
Artist Anthony Sonnenberg
Anthony Sonnenberg, Golden Epergne, 2023. Porcelain over stoneware and found ceramic tchotchkes, glaze, premium gold luster. Courtesy of the artist. © Anthony Sonnenberg.
Anthony Sonnenberg, Double-tier polka-dot Chandelier (Ode to Peak Bottom Culture), 2021-23. Porcelain over stoneware and found ceramic tchotchkes, glaze, steel, electric lights. Courtesy of the artist. © Anthony Sonnenberg.
Artist Anthony Sonnenberg will explore expressions of power through decoration within various cultures. Opposing a denigrative association with the merely frivolous, decoration throughout history has performed a meaningful task of constructing and emanating power. Personal, social, and political power dynamics are expressed through decorative decadence and excess, be it, the over-embellished palace, the ecstatic candelabra, or the glamorous dress.
The artist’s work will be featured in the SBMA exhibition WARES! Extraordinary Ceramics and the Ordinary Home from June 18 through September 17, 2023.
