Tile Block

In an essay on the work of American ceramic artist Betty Woodman, one of Sean Gerstley’s many influences, author Stuart Krimko wrote, “The domestic is often where art begins.” For Gerstley, that statement rings true in more ways than one. 

From his home studio, the Philadelphia-based artist creates a ceramic world of slab and coil built tile blocks with pinchy surfaces and custom glazes, bursting with color. 

With Tile Block, Gerstley’s first solo show and his second time exhibiting work with Superhouse, the artist explores how ceramic can be incorporated into living spaces at a larger scale, outside of decorative objects and utilitarian tableware. Gerstley was inspired by the architecture of Superhouse’s gallery, stating, “The space is like a large display case with glass walls, and the works are arranged like typical furniture you would use in a domestic setting. It is like peering into someone’s living room.”

The 13 furniture and lighting works give us a voyeuristic perspective on Gerstley’s view of home life: one full of handmade objects, saturated color and the desire to be surrounded by beauty. One of the exhibition highlights is Gerstley’s massive surfboard-shaped coffee table, formed from candy-colored tile blocks in his characteristic irregular shapes and set atop dappled legs in contrasting hues. To create these tile blocks, Gerstley begins with a base of American red earthenware clay to which he adds grog for texture. He then rolls flat slabs with this clay mixture and adds coiled walls and pinched edges. Firing the wet clay at higher than normal temperatures enhances the tile blocks’ durability. In the final step of the process, Gerstley covers the tile blocks and extruded elements with custom glazes in sumptuous colors and rich surfaces for which Gerstley is known.

Works like Gerstley’s Nesting Tables introduce new forms and formal elements to the artist’s body of work. The table uses extruded clay tubes, in varying diameters, to form its legs. The tile blocks that puzzle together to comprise the tabletop can be separated and reassembled to create different configurations, adding playful interactivity into the artist’s oeuvre. The drum shade of A Christmas Story table lamp sits atop a vibrant orange cylinder, demonstrating the diverse uses the artist employed with this new element of his work.

A surprise standout in the show is Conceived on the Delaware River. The totemic floor lamp’s high relief surface references Gerstley’s tile blocks, while leveraging a new assembly technique. Instead of multi-colored epoxy, troughs of dabbled ceramic separate the chunky shapes. The lamp stretched the limits of the artist’s kiln, requiring it to be fired in four separate pieces. While the uniform matte black glaze stands in contrast to many of the polychrome pieces in the show, it references the matte black and darker accents throughout the pieces in the show. 

Sean Gerstley: Tile Block shows an artist evolving. The breadth of forms, colors and techniques in Superhouse’s solo presentation reveal the artist’s virtuosic skill with clay and his technical prowess at hand-manufacturing intricate furniture. Less than a year ago Gerstley unveiled his tile block tables in Superhouse’s Super Group. The advances he’s made in such a short time illustrate the artist’s expertise and vision. We’re excited for the months and years to come.

About Sean Gerstley

Sean Gerstley is a Delaware-born, Philadelphia-based artist and designer. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Gersley’s interest in sculpture and interior spaces is translated using clay as his primary medium. Working from his home studio, Gerstley has created a ceramic world of slab and coil built forms with pinchy surfaces and unique glazes, often bursting with color. The artist debuted his first series of tile block furniture with Superhouse (New York, NY) in 2020 and has continued to experiment with the form leading up to his solo show with the gallery, Sean Gerstley: Tile Block. Gerstley has shown at Emma Scully Gallery (New York, NY), Air Mattress Gallery (New York, NY) and the 99cent Plus Gallery (Brooklyn, NY). His work has been featured in numerous publications including Architectural Digest, Artforum, Dwell, Elle Decor Italia, Metropolis, New York magazine, Sight Unseen and Surface.