Judi Tavill
PHRODITE, 2025
fired clay. paint. graphite. polychromo pencils. varnish
19.25 x 16 x 14 in 
 
PHRODITE embodies sensual entanglement, a figurative form that refuses definition, blurring boundaries between body and landscape, intimacy and alienness. Built from fired clay, spray-painted blue, then activated with networks of drawn graphite and polychrome pencil lines, the surface suggests both vulnerability and resilience. Inspired by survival systems that persist despite harsh conditions, the fluid gesture and intricate drawn pathways create connection across the form. In our divided moment, this piece celebrates bodies that intertwine and resist categorization. It is carnivalesque joy made tactile and the absurd beauty of a form that insists on pleasure and interconnection as acts of defiance.