History lesson power is always taken and We belong only to ourselves (Set of 2)

Set of two hand-built and carved porcelain vases by Alex Hodge.
Overall size: 36 H x 42.5 W x 10 D in.
1. History lesson power is always taken (30 lbs)
36 H x 22 W x 10 D in.
2. We belong only to ourselves (18 lbs)
16 H x 20.5 W x 8 D in.


This vessel is the first of the Unsung Muses series, and it references two compositions by Cezanne in which women are seen bathing, undisturbed by the voyeurism of the artist and/or viewer. However, in my version, the two women on the “back” are staring straight out at the audience as if they are perturbed by our interruption. The text reads from front to back, “we are not here for / your viewing pleasure.” This piece is meant to speak to the way women are constantly objectified and ogled for male gratification while offering a firm statement on our autonomy.

Alex Hodge grew up on a blueberry farm in South Georgia where she learned the value of cultivating the earth. Currently based in Miami, Florida, Hodge focuses on prioritizing women’s narratives in all aspects of her work. Her poetic porcelain objects examine and reimagine the history of art in a way that values women, not only in body, but in wholeness, power, and love. By combining sculptural and drawn elements, such as carved and painted patterns, her works create a dialogue between space and line, form and surface for a dynamic viewing experience. Often limiting her color palette to black and white, she uses the carving technique called sgraffito to incise her pieces with drawings, her own text, and pattern. Focusing on the narrative qualities of art-making, Hodge weaves stories into the clay which are both personal and universal. Through the decorative and symbolic details, she hints at narratives without completing them to invite the viewer to participate in creating meaning. The women she invents exist in the present but are of the imagined future in which we all have room to flourish, tell our stories, give and receive love, and express the beauty and pain of the human condition. Fundamentally, her artworks are a celebration of the tenacity and vulnerability of women and clay, an interplay of history and hope.