Tamed 1988

Here we see Kenneth Price's ceramic sculpture, "Tamed." The work immediately strikes one with its biomorphic form, a rough, mottled surface of pinks and purples, abruptly interrupted by a smooth, vibrant orange plane punctuated by a black void. This juxtaposition of textures and colours creates a visual tension, a push and pull between the organic and the geometric. Price's formal approach reflects a broader engagement with challenging conventional notions of beauty and form. The unexpected rupture of the orange surface challenges our expectations, disrupting any easy categorization of the sculpture as simply "natural" or "abstract." In essence, Price's "Tamed" invites us to reconsider our assumptions about the boundaries between the natural and the artificial. The bright orange plane, with its assertive smoothness, acts as a signifier of human intervention, while the rough, mottled surface speaks to the untamed forces of nature. This tension, embodied within the sculpture's form, reflects a larger cultural discourse about our relationship with the environment and the impact of human activity on the world around us.