Artist Statement

“My work begins in the quiet tension between what is remembered and what is felt. I am interested in utilizing the strength and delicacy of porcelain clay to create narrative works rooted in personal experiences. I find inspiration in the externally quiet and internally loud realm of thought and memory. With the use of fragmentation, I aim to emphasize memory, mystery, and the effects of time on the mind and human experience. By working with the fragmented figure, I challenge myself to express sensation without the support of a facial expression, whether that be through an exaggerated foot, hand, or gesture. The fragment allows me to tell part of a story, while focusing on the feelings of loss, fear, deep time, healing, hope, and wonder that I want to portray. I am drawn to the surface of marble sculpture, and with porcelain clay I am able to mimic a similar smooth, white surface. While working with clay, I have developed a meditative process that allows me to practice presence and reflection. Working with clay brings me a similar sense of tranquility that being with nature does. Roses are a recurring symbol in my work, representing my late twin sister, Grace Rose. Though she passed at birth, she became real to me when I learned about her at the age of six, and she has remained a subconscious wonder throughout my life. I sculpt thorned stems alongside my roses to symbolize the duality of life where beauty and pain, joy and struggle, and life and loss coexist.”

Bio

Sophia Krumbein was born and raised in Southern California. After studying ceramics at Santa Ana College from 2018-2023, she transferred to the Kansas City Art Institute in 2023 to pursue her BFA in Ceramics, with a focus on figurative sculpture. As Sophia is finishing up her last year at the institute, she is also currently a Teaching Assistant for the sophomore figure sculpting class.

Sophia has shown her work in juried shows at the California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Arts, Davis, CA; United Colors, Kansas City, KS; the Kansas City Artist Coalition, Kansas City, MO; and Vulpes Bastille, Kansas City, MO.