Explore Ceramics and Sounds by Ana Popescu and Chris Mayes-Wright
Ceramist Ana Popescu and sound artist Chris Mayes-Wright. Photo (detail) courtesy of the artists.
The connection between artists Ana Popescu and Chris Mayes-Wright goes beyond shared aesthetic or creative interests, they’re actually married. This dynamic wife-and-husband duo is primed to host a compelling exhibition juxtaposing her sculptural ceramics and his immersive sounds in Providence, Rhode Island. Their show Tăcut Ca O Cioară Vopsită (Silent Like A Painted Crow) will be on view at OPEN at 50 Sims Avenue February 9 - 27 with an opening reception and Drinks with Artists gathering on Friday, February 13 from 6-8pm. A conversation with the pair highlights their remarkable and overlapping artistic talents.
Popescu studied sculpture in undergrad and made a name for herself in New York as a person who mounted events before coming to Rhode Island to earn her MFA in Ceramics at RISD. One of the works on view at OPEN is a large scale arch, crafted during her graduate work, that blends sculpture and ceramic. Asked what she aims for people to gain from interacting with her work, Popescu says, “I hope viewers experience the work first on a bodily level. The Arch is meant to feel imposing at first, echoing the authority and spectacle of historical monuments. But as you move closer and pass through it, that certainty starts to break down. Details, fractures, and the exposed back of the structure invite a slower, more attentive way of looking and point to the labor and construction usually hidden behind grand façades and maximalist ornamentation.”
Beyond the arch, Popescu will also offer another installation in the show too, She explains, “The Looking Glass shifts the experience further. Its table-like form encourages gathering and reflection rather than awe. The objects act more like fragments than symbols, leaving room for personal associations, memories, and projection.” Alongside Popescu’s work, Mayes-Wright will fill the gallery with an immersive sound-based experience that will invite visitors to amble.
Ana Popescu’s impressive Arch. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Describing the inclusion of Mayes-Wright’s composition in the exhibition, Popescu states, “The sound piece plays a big role in shaping that experience. Sound has a direct relationship to memory and emotion, often more immediate than image. Working collaboratively with Chris has allowed the installation to unfold across multiple senses, so meaning isn’t just seen, but felt as you move through the space.”
Considering what it means for him to share this work alongside Popescu’s, Mayes-Wright reflects, “I am so familiar with Ana's work, for obvious reasons. (We're married!) And we've worked closely together on so many different projects — from integrating technology in her lighting installations at raves, to working through logistical aspects of sculpture. But until now we have never had a chance to merge my sound work with her installation pieces. So when Ben Sisto suggested we do a group show, my mind started exploring new possibilities. At first I was trying to meld my work to support the narratives in hers — basically making a sonic version of her sculptures. But I actually found that quite difficult and unnatural, because she deals with fairly heavy topics, while I prefer levity and harmoniousness.”
Mayes-Wright feels his contribution to the show is informed by Popescu’s work while also being a standalone piece in its own right. He continues, “So the path I took was parallel — in other words it's inspired by her work, and responding specifically to it in a complementary way, but not intrinsically woven into it. So this is what I'm most excited about: how our two individual statements — disconnected but equally not unrelated — will feel beside each other.”
Asked what it means for her to exhibit at OPEN, Popescu says, “Showing this work at OPEN feels especially meaningful to me because the space carries its own history and physical presence. The raw, industrial environment supports the installation in a way that feels natural, giving it room to exist on its own. While the RISD Graduate Show was generous and energizing, this piece really benefits from being experienced on its own terms.”
Popescu feels the exhibition at OPEN will allow her to add to the experience of her work. She explains, “Being able to revisit the installation, reshape it, and integrate the sound collaboration with Chris has definitely given the work room to evolve. In a darker, more cavernous space like OPEN, viewers can slow down, spend time with the work, and fully step into the atmosphere rather than just passing through.”
Ana Popescu’s work melds sculpture, ceramics, and installation. Photo courtesy of the artist.
While viewers may be familiar with the means of making leveraged by Popescu in the form of sculpture, ceramic, or drawing, the sound-based works of her counterpart might seem more mysterious. Mayes-Wright describes the process for creating his work by stating, “My method is very unstructured, but it normally involves me assembling a few interesting sounds and creating some kind of loose rhythmic texture with them. Not like a drum beat, more like an organized cacophony. I use several tools, including a four-channel hardware sampler and sequencer, which is obtusely difficult to program. This gives me lots of unintended outcomes, which often inform the direction of the work.”
The artist goes on, “Then I start layering and arranging in software, adding new timbres along the way to complement the direction I'm going. I compose in Ableton Live using features that create an outcome that is difficult to predict. Sometimes I'll use convoluted hardware chains to add another level of unpredictability. I embrace wonkiness and imperfection. Once I have my pallette, I'll arrange the piece for the output conditions. Like the number of channels, and their positioning within a space; if it's for a song format, or an endless looping environment like this one at OPEN. I try not to be too deliberate because I believe there's lots of beauty in leaving things to chance.”
Mayes-Wright and Popescu have been together for over fifteen years and have supported one another’s artistic pursuits as partners. In their new show, viewers will get the chance to see a direct collaboration between two visionary art makers who also happen to be husband and wife.
Drawing and ceramic by Ana Popescu. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Ana Popescu and Chris Mayes-Wright’s exhibition Tăcut Ca O Cioară Vopsită (Silent Like A Painted Crow) is on view February 9-27 at OPEN at 50 Sims Avenue in Providence. On Friday, February 13 from 6-8pm the artists will host a reception and Drinks with Artists gathering with Michael Rose.
Learn more about Ana Popescu at www.anapopescu.com and listen to Chris Mayes-Wright’s sound work on Spotify by clicking here.
To receive stories like this one in your inbox each Friday morning, subscribe to the New England Art News Substack.
