California-based artist Crystal Morey explores the relationship between humans and nature with her intriguing ceramic sculptures of people encased in animals. Using delicate and emotive gesture, rich texture, and subdued tones, Morey carefully molds the figurative sculptures from clay, creating pieces that are both striking and thought-provoking.
With meditative poses and expressions, the hybrid figures contemplate the unknown future of the Earth and the impact of humans on the natural world. Many of the animals that Morey chooses–such as polar bears and blackbuck antelopes–are likely to become endangered soon, adding greater significance to her themes around environmental protection.
“Today every action has a reaction we can see: in climate change, de-forestation, ocean acidity, and the hunting of animals. All of these actions are causing havoc and leading us to an unsustainable environment,” she says. “I try to show the stresses in our cohabitation through making sculptures of humans, animals, the environment, and the delicate dependencies we share.”
