Anthony Sonnenberg’s luscious ceramic sculptures set a stage calling the spectator to ekstasis (to be or to stand outside one’s self.) The elaborate hand-built ceramic sculptures echo the decadent elaborations of Baroque and Rococo fioriture. Initially reminiscent of past civilizations’ aesthetic efflorescence, upon closer inspection, the viewer can vaguely identify familiar modern tchotchkes built into the structure.

A multi-media artist, Anthony Sonnenberg often works with the Greek mythology of Silenus, the tutor and companion to the wine god, Dionysus. Believed to derive wisdom from over-indulgence in alcohol, Silenus’ became a key player in the story of King Midas, the ultimate cautionary tale to those over-consumed with passion for material wealth. Casting himself in the role of Silenus, Sonnenberg deftly explores the King Midas story, as well as later interpretations by Nietzsche, for whom art enables transcending the pessimistic ‘Wisdom of Silenus’.

Beautiful memento mori, the platinum lusters and thick glazes appear to be melting, revealing the duality underneath, and a darker side of desire: asking, “if yielding to desire hastens our own demise, can the cost ever be worth the reward?”

Anthony Sonnenberg was born in 1986 in Graham, TX, and is currently based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He earned his BA from the University of Texas Austin (2009) and his MFA from the University of Washington Seattle (2012). His work, which ranges from ceramic sculpture to installation and performance, has been shown recently in such art institutions as the Windgate Museum of Art, Hendrix College, Conway, AR (2022); Galerie Italienne, Paris, France (2021); Dinner Gallery, New York, NY (2021); Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, FL (2021); Gavlak Gallery, Palm Beach, FL (2021); Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (2020); Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR (2020-current); Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (2019); Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA (2019); Craft Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA (2018) and the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, TX (2019). Residencies include: the Windgate Museum of Art, Conway, AR (2021); the Inverse Performance Residency, Questa College, San Luis Obisbo, CA (2019); CSULB Summer Studio Resident (2018), Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY (2017); the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX (2016); the Lawndale Artists Studio Program, Houston, TX (2015-16); Sculpture Space, Utica NY (2014); the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena MT (2014); Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood WA (2012); and the Ox-Bow School, Saugatuck MI (2017/2008).

WATCH THE MARCH 22, 2021 UTA VISITING ARTIST LECTURE WITH ANTHONY SONNENBERG HERE.

Conduit Gallery Exhibitions

• Beauty Parlor
• Hot Damn
• Speaking in Tongues
• In Times Like These
• Let Your Flowers Grow
• Fat Equals Flavor