“Total Collapse: Clay in the Contemporary Past” features diverse and experimental work in sculpture, performance, and site-specific installation. The artists utilize a variety of engaging practices which have contributed to and reflect recent developments and expansion in the field of contemporary ceramics. The exhibition is organized around ideas that explore the function of clay as an anthropological device, representing early human technology and as an everyday contemporary object. “Total Collapse” examines the value of ceramic objects as artifacts with sociopolitical potential but also questions their role as mass-produced goods with potential impact on future histories.

Artists include Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Armando Cortes, Kahlil Irving, Gala Porras Kim, Daniel L Bare, Michael Jones McKean, Kristen Morgin, and Unknown Fields Division.

“Total Collapse” is guest curated by Andres Payan-Estrada and co-organized with the Rubin Center for the Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso. The ASU Art Museum presentation is supported by the Windgate Charitable Foundation as part of the Windgate Contemporary Craft Initiative, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Mission Clay Products, and Baron Studio.