Anthropophore series offers an intrinsic connection to the past
Maxwell Mustardo’s Anthropophore series reimagines ancient Roman amphorae, enhancing their alluring allure and anthropomorphic qualities to create fluorescent vessels that resonate with contemporary sensibilities. Moving away from decorative flourishes, the artist’s forms focus on raw materiality, tactile immediacy and the quiet humanity of the maker’s touch – offering a visceral connection with the past while reinterpreting its relevance for today through a playful lens. We do.
Anthropophorae move on from the grandeur of the painted Greek amphorae that came before, instead adopting the approachable awkwardness and sensual physicality of their Roman counterparts. With fearless honesty, whimsical objects represent the anthropomorphic qualities of historical ceramicspresented vaguely PVC Coats that seem to shimmer with life.
All images courtesy of Maxwell Mustardo
Maxwell Mustardo makes pots from PVC and stone
‘By working within simple constraints, such as the format of a mug, vase, or torus, I explore the systemic elements of surface, form, materiality, and function. Many of the projects revolve around broader, reverent notions of the ship, the body and language.’ maxwell mustardo sharesConsidering their experimental practice. With Anthropophore, based in New Jersey artist Engages with ceramics as a polyphonic medium to deeply engage with historical and cultural narratives, treating the ship not as simply an object, but as an animate participant in human history. The series reflects a reverence for tradition, coupled with a drive to disrupt and redefine it with new perspectives as a symbol of human culture.
Made from collected stoneware clay, the pieces undergo a transformative process as the surfaces are painstakingly sandblasted and wet-exfoliated, revealing a moss-like, tactile complexity. After firing, the PVC-based coating – applied in dozens of layers – enhances this effect, giving the work a soft, organic and almost sensual quality.
Maxwell Mustardo reimagines classical forms
The combination of ceramic and synthetic materials creates an exciting tension, while color intensifies this dialogue. The pigments create bold silhouettes and emphasize a structural drama that is reminiscent of the classical vessels from which Anthropophore takes inspiration, leading the eye to gauzy surfaces that breathe and change in the light. ‘My use of specific colors is often arbitrary and illogical, used largely for sensual effect. Conceptually, he said, the relatively obvious non-ceramic-ness of the pigment is used to further differentiate and complicate an object’s relationship with material and functionality.’ Maxwell Mustardo says. With a liminal quality, this interplay produces forms that are familiar yet foreign, functional yet symbolic.
Anthropophore enhances the obvious charm of ancient Roman amphorae
Quirky utensils that echo contemporary sensibilities
Made from collected stoneware clay, the pieces undergo a transformation process with PVC coatings
The fuzzy outer layers give the works a soft, organic and almost sensual quality
The artist treats the ship not as a mere object, but as an animated participant in human history
The artist focuses on the raw physicality, tactile immediacy and quiet humanity of the creator’s touch
Pigments lead the eye to blurry surfaces that appear to move in light as they breathe
Forms that are familiar yet alien, functional yet symbolic
Project Information:
Name: anthropomorphe
artist: maxwell mustard , @maxwellmasterdo
