Partners in crime...

Erik Haagensen Artist Statement

Clay is an amazing media with unmatched potential for varied form, texture, surface, and artistic intent.It is timeless, enduring, archetypal, seductive and mysterious to work with.With clay, there is more than a lifetime’s worth to experiment with.

My art work is guided by interests in human evolution and history, the force of faith and ideas in shaping our reality, and our collective future.The unbroken chain of our species as it plays out over time, and how the aliens view us millions of years from now. Right now, I think it is very important to both be playful and to produce finely crafted objects.

In America, we work too hard and don’t value play enough…to the point of being uncivilized, to the detriment of our families and our own psychological health.We need to retreat from the sound-byte infotainment of our plastic McCulture.We need to slow down, sacrifice for the future, and make difficult choices in this culture of convenience.

To make things by hand from clay is an act of rebellion, of intentional inefficiency, of retro and reflection, of refusing to cede it all to the machines.I want to make things that make people laugh or be amused or playfully confused or quietly delighted. I want to make things that make people slow down and appreciate the everyday, to reflect on their surroundings, and to think about where we are heading.