January 17 – February 22, 2026
Emily Galusha Gallery
Opening Reception: Friday, January 16th, 6 – 8 pm
Virtual Tour available January 22
In Shadow Piece(s): Chance-Based Responses in Clay, seven ceramic artists—Maggie Adams, Alexis C. Brunkow, E.C. Comstock, Tomo Ingalls, Vanessa Romo, Jennifer Schumacher Waller, and Kurt Tomerlin—respond to a single set of written instructions: Shadow Piece (1963) by Japanese Fluxus artist Meiko Shiomi. Originally conceived as a poetic performance score, Shadow Piece invites a meditation on the presence and movement of shadow in space and time. In this exhibition, clay becomes the medium through which each artist interprets and performs the score, translating ephemeral action into material form.
Curated by E.C. Comstock and Olive Comstock, this exhibition draws inspiration from Fluxus, the 1960s–70s avant-garde network of artists across Japan, Europe, and the United States who challenged the boundaries between art and life. Like the Event Scores that defined much of Fluxus practice—short written instructions meant to provoke action—each ceramic work in Shadow Piece(s) is a record of performance, shaped by individual process and collective dialogue.
Rather than centering the object as a static, stand-alone form, the exhibition embraces ceramics as a medium of iteration and interpretation. Clay’s inherent unpredictability, shaped by the forces of touch, heat, and time, aligns seamlessly with the chance-based ethos of Shiomi’s score. The artists’ varied responses emerge through practices of repetition, experimentation, and intuitive making—gestures that echo across disciplines and histories.
While Fluxus often took place in public spaces or live performances, here the performance unfolds in the quiet interior of the studio. The resulting works are not representations, but traces—documents of embodied action and material thought. They invite viewers to consider ceramics not simply as craft or sculpture, but as a form of movement held in suspension.
Through this collaboration, Shadow Piece(s) honors Shiomi’s legacy while expanding the boundaries of both ceramics and performance. It offers a timely reflection on collectivity, responsiveness, and the poetic potential of instruction.
Related Event
Virtual Panel Discussion
Join Curators Olive & E.C. Comstock along with participating artists from Shadow Piece(s) in a virtual panel discussion about artworks created for this exhibition.
Wednesday, January 28, 6 pm CT
Virtual Tour
Available January 22
Purchase Work
A selection of work from the exhibition will be available to purchase online.