James DeRosso & Reed Fair

James DeRosso

James DeRosso brings a new body of sculptural ceramic work to 45º — one that channels raw political feeling into form. In his own words:

"Usually my art and my civics are two separate entities, but current politics drives me to express my disdain through the monsters that I create. I'm disgusted by the actions and attitude of our president and his administration. I'm also disgusted that a significant percentage of this nation can actually support this kind of corrupt leadership. The shift towards glorifying wealth and power over civility, compassion, and honor is a sickening display of how corrupt American politics have become. I see our leaders as hideous creatures, lacking integrity, morals, and an obligation to serve. Instead, they are consumed with self-serving agendas to increase their personal wealth and status. At best, they are shallow and self-absorbed, and at worst, they are mean, careless, and greedy. I created this series of monsters to embody that mean ugliness, and that lack of deeper thoughtfulness and conviction toward higher morals."

Reed Fair

Reed Fair presents Connected - a series of more than one hundred raku-fired ceramic cubes, each entirely its own. The collection is designed to grow with its collectors over time, and Reed will be available to talk through the work and how it might find a home on your walls.

"There is something special about the space between things. The way objects placed together begin to relate to one another, to form something larger than themselves. Connected explores this idea through more than one hundred raku-fired ceramic wall hangings, each measuring just 2.25 inches in every direction, each entirely its own.

No two pieces are alike. Each small cube carries its own texture, its own glaze, its own memory of fire. Raku is an unpredictable process. I welcome that unpredictability as a collaborator. What emerges is never entirely planned, and that is precisely the point. These are not pieces that submit to uniformity. They resist it.

And yet, when gathered together, whether in a small grouping of three or an arrangement of one hundred or more, they find one another. Patterns emerge. Relationships form. The collection becomes a kind of conversation, with each piece contributing something to the whole. Connected.

These pieces are meant to grow with their collectors. Begin with three. Add more over time. Let the wall evolve. There is no wrong arrangement, only the one that feels right to you."

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