Uriel H. Caspi Jr.

From early childhood I developed a fascination to clay. I realized that working with clay enlightened me spiritually and emotionally, which in turn influenced my ideas; Clay became the media in which I could express thoughts and feelings. Along my artistic studio practice, I develop my own working methodologies and my visual vocabulary, mostly within the spectrum of vessel-body-sculpture. Creating in this versatile field allows me to manipulate traditional forms into 'embodied objects', either as a part of series or as an individual figure. The evolution of the works guides me towards a never-ending morphological research of interior and exterior, color and shape, light and shadow.       
 
As an emerging artist from the Middle East, archeological remnants and pre-historic artifacts turned to be a conceptual aspect in my artwork. Antiquarian connotations from my local surroundings as well as objects from my personal domicile may be transformed into contemporary interpretation, that occasionally associate with multicultural references. This transformation inspires me to dig into myself and uncover my 'personal-sphere'. This ‘inner-excavation’ reveals narratives, memories, personal sediments and identity components that compose the iconography of my art. 
 
Alongside the visual and the conceptual aspects of my works, materials and technical research appeared to be an integral part of forming my art. Using the qualities and the aesthetics of traditional techniques in an innovative perspective, demonstrates the predictability and randomness of the process and the wide limits of ceramic materials. The revival of traditional Mediterranean techniques together with the prosperity of computer-aided design result in a challenging confluence, and besides its visual benefit, it might be considered as an ethical and meaningful maneuver – the preservation of ancient crafts.    
 
I wish to create interactive installations which reflect my individual and experimental voice and communicate with the viewer simultaneously.  I’m granting the viewer a full autonomy to activate my artwork and forming the narrative. Sometimes the viewer is part of the artwork itself.  

Bio
Born in Haifa, Israel (1994). The seventh generation of the Caspi family originated from the Jewish quarter at the Old City of Jerusalem. Master of Fine Arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, USA. In 2018, graduated magna cum laude from the ceramics department, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem. Studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and Cranbrook Ceramics, MI. Works and installations have been showcased nationally and abroad. In 2019, Awarded an emerging artist prize of the Hecht Museum Foundation. Since 2015, Colleague of the Haifa Center of Ceramics and Art, Haifa, Israel. Caspi’s artwork proposes an interplay between the viewer and the inner world of the artist and a dialog between ancient crafts and contemporary studio practice.