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When New Jersey-based artist and educator Ruth Borgenicht attended university, she studied mathematics. But as she shares in a statement: “Love of math was not enough to invent new ideas in this field—unfortunately for me, that also required genius.” As the saying goes, when a door closes, a window opens, and for Borgenicht, that opportunity came in the form of ceramics.
Through precise forms and meticulous stoneware arrangements, the artist creates wall-hung and tabletop sculptures that are in some cases even kinetic, alternating between basket-like vessels and sturdy, elegantly nestled abstract forms. They often hang tapestry-like from a series of nails or unfurl into three-dimensional biomorphic forms, such as her Centipedes series, which mimic the long, multi-legged bodies of the oft-abhorred arthropods.
“Cubed Rings (large),” wood soda fired stoneware, 13 x 12 x 8 inches
The exactitude of geometry and other mathematical concepts are foundational to Borgenicht’s work, but she revels in their relationships to nature and the handmade. “Math, at least at the undergraduate level, often involves learning known modes of thinking and working along well-worn paths,” she tells Colossal. “Clay, by contrast, records the imprint of every touch, pressure, and gesture that comes into contact with it. No two objects shaped by human hands can ever be identical.”
Inspiration for creating chainmail sculptures struck after Borgenicht visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s medieval exhibition space nearly four decades ago. “It occurred to me that it would be an absurd thing to try and make chainmail—or really any kind of moveable mesh—from clay,” she says. “So of course I had to give it a try.”
Borgenicht is currently working toward an exhibition at NL=US Art in Rotterdam which is slated to open in February 2027 and will include a foray into 3D printing. “I’ve been thinking about how forces, repercussions, and influence reverberate through vast interconnected systems,” she says. “A small decision in one arena can ripple outward and profoundly affect a completely different sphere on the other side of the globe.”
See more of Borgenicht’s work on Instagram.
“Triple Mirage,” stoneware, 27 x 34 x 3.5 inches
“Morning Mien,” stoneware, 51 x 27 x 2 inches
Detail of “Morning Mien”
“Iron Centipede,” soda-fired stoneware, 5 x 13 x 13 inches collapsed or up to 6 x 14 x 14 inches as a basket
“Adobe Bulge,” stoneware, 16.5 x 15 x 3 inches
‘Centipedes’ series, ranging from 2 to 12 inches
“Blue Moon,” salt-fired stoneware, 14 x 13 x 5 inches
“Surrounded,” approximately 2 x 28 inches diameter; when unfurled, a continuous tube of ceramic chainmail
“Basket,” soda-fired stoneware, 7 x 13 x 13 inches
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