ARTIST: Agustina Markez

MATERIALS: Glazed ceramic

METHOD: Slab-built from silicone molds of deflated soccer balls, uniquely sculpted

What happens when an object loses its function but gains a new kind of presence?

Agustina Markez transforms deflated soccer balls into ceramic sculptures, shifting a familiar object from the realm of sport into that of sculpture. Working from silicone molds taken from deflated balls, each piece is individually sculpted and glazed, preserving the distinctive collapsed form of the original.

THIS WORK WAS CREATED AS PART OF OBJECTS AT PLAY EXHIBITION. Each piece is unique.

ARTIST STATEMENT

"In my ceramic deflated soccer balls, I focus on the moment when an object loses its function but gains a new kind of presence. Through the change in materiality from soft to hard, the viewer gains a different perspective on a familiar object. By translating a collapsed ball into a rigid ceramic form, I highlight fragility, failure, and the quiet aftermath of play. What was once full of motion becomes a sculptural pause, an imprint of use, exhaustion, and memory held in a material that refuses to bounce back."

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Agustina Markez (b. 1998, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a Brooklyn-based immigrant artist working across sculpture, installation, video, and performance. She holds a BFA in Visual Arts and Art History from SUNY Purchase and an MFA in Sculpture from RISD. Her work has been exhibited at institutions including Microscope Gallery, Attleboro Arts Museum, Kates-Ferri Projects, and the RISD Museum.