Thoughts on Clay

Thoughts on Clay is a book of artist Zou Chen’s ceramics, cell phone photos of her daily walks to the studio, and short writings–thoughts–on clay.

During these walks, Chen records her wandering thoughts as they drift from ceramics, to AI, to the nature of spontaneity. She picks up plants, stones, and discarded items that she includes in her work once she arrives. This improvised collaboration with her environment allows her to be surprised by her own practice. She maintains this flexibility in all interactions with her work, regularly turning objects on their side, flipping them upside down.

Text floats across each page, mimicking the rhythm of Chen’s experience thinking through and about clay on her walks.

Laser-print with softcover, 10 in. x 8 in., edition 30, 2023

Designed by Brendan Page and printed with Maple Press Printing

Published by Each and Every Press

© ZOU CHEN STUDIO