Artist Erica Prince Brings Functionality and Perspective to her Multidisciplinary Art
When we think about art, one of the last things we consider is functionality.
Bushwick-based multidisciplinary artist and designer Erica Prince throws an artistic curveball at that notion, by challenging viewers to look at her art through the lens of both form and function.
Prince works across a multitude of art media, which is part of her brand.
"I've done art my entire life," said Prince. "My parents were both artsy, so I was always encouraged to create."
She lets the concept take her to the medium: retro futuristic ceramic sculptures that function as containers. These extruded and hand-built ceramic vessels are functional objects intended to bring awareness to the act of choosing, placing, arranging, and compartmentalizing.
The forms are inspired by 17th Century Dutch tulip vases and retro futurist spacecraft and architecture.
Photos: www.erica-prince.com
A native of Philadelphia, Prince works out of a spacious yet minimalistic studio in her Bushwick apartment.
Prince brought a following with her from Philadelphia and only hopes to expand her art in Brooklyn, which she calls the "bigger pond" for artists. "I'm really inspired by the colors of Bushwick and the neighborhood's natural sense of humor. I think it takes itself less seriously than other areas in Brooklyn," Prince said. "I knew when I moved here [three years ago], I wanted to be able to work from home and I wanted to live in Bushwick."
"My work is a lot about finding harmony of objects in space, so working from home inspires me, and Bushwick is the place to be if you're an artist. There's so much liveliness in this neighborhood."
Prince creates art with women's lives in mind: "I see the woman who owns one of my pieces as a smart, strong, politically-active woman." She uses her art to encourage people to see themselves based on what they project into the space she provides. The minimalism of her work allows itself to take on the personality of the owner.
Prince will be holding a popup of her work, September 23-27 at the vintage shop Feng Sway. The event, which she has dubbed, The Transformational Makeover Salon, will double as a trunk show and a meet-and-greet, a chance for Prince to interact with an audience while making over a select group of women. At the salon, she will create dollhouses with bare-minimum architecture, lending the viewer the opportunity to decide their functionalities.
Aside from her upcoming installment of the Transformational Makeover Salon at Feng Sway, Prince has launched an online shop for her work via her website. For anyone interested in signing up to participate in the makeup salon, Prince (@princeerica) and Feng Sway (@fengsway) will be posting details on their Instagrams.
