Jen Dwyer
Pasithea

18.5 x 12 x 7 inches
Ceramics, glaze, and underglaze
2022

In Greek mythology, Pasithea was one of the Charities and was the personification of relaxation and meditation.

Jen Dwyer’s most recent body of work, High Maintenance, stems from the messaging women receive in contemporary advertising to; ‘fix this part of your body’ you didn’t know was an issue or ‘buy this thing to make your home more charming’ even though you didn’t realize it needed improving, and so on. Nodding to the whimsical Rococo aesthetic, Dwyer’s playful and fantastical sculptures give a reprieve from this tiring, repetitive messaging. She creates a world where women can take a break to eat a pear without guilt and worrying whether they’ve done enough of their to-do list, or lay on the couch doing nothing, rather than feeling shame for relaxing. Dwyer’s colorful one-of-a-kind ceramics illustrate little glimpses of women embracing female desire by experiencing blissful joy and enjoying life as they please.

View more original ceramic sculptures by Jen Dwyer