Brooklyn-based artist Cody Hoyt’s second exhibition at Soho gallery Patrick Parrish – 'Fossil Record' – pushes the limitations of ceramics to the edge.
Originally a painter, illustrator, and printmaker, Hoyt shifted to working primarily in ceramics several years ago. As a result, his mesmerising vessels have surfaces that command as much attention as their structures, from riotous colourful melees to precise geometric patterns. Hoyt hand-forms the faceted vessels and uses tinted inlay clay pattering that is sliced, sanded and fired to reveal distinctive designs.
'Fossil Record' builds on Hoyt’s oeuvre in scale – some of the pieces, at about 32 inches tall, are his largest vessels yet – and in form. Due to the comparative oversize scale of his work, Hoyt risks having the vessels become cracked or broken in the kiln. 'Cody’s really pushing the pieces, and that has brought on its own set of issues and problems that he’s had to work through,' says gallery owner Patrick Parrish. 'He’s technically working in “the wrong way".'
The striations in the clay add a rich element to the pieces, taking on different nuances and revealing the process behind each one. His hand-marbled vessels resemble wood or sandstone in a wabi sabi manner, while his more constructivist patterns appear to cut through the exterior to the inside. 'Instead of making everything perfect, he’s trying to embrace the flaws, the damage,' says Parrish. 'He’s making something beautiful out of what could be considered failure and seeing where it goes.'
Hoyt admits that the involved process to create this effect is a challenge (a large percentage of the pieces break completely in the kiln), but the resulting beauty is worth it. And from the bustling crowd and number of red reserve dots cropping up on his pieces at the gallery’s opening night, it seems everyone agrees.
Hoyt's vessels have surfaces that command as much attention as their structures – from riotous colourful melees to precise geometric patterns
This exhibition builds on Hoyt’s oeuvre in scale – some of the pieces, at about 32 inches tall, are his largest vessels yet
His hand-marbled vessels resemble wood or sandstone in a wabi sabi manner, while more constructivist patterns appear to cut through the exterior
Hoyt admits that the involved process to create a marble effect on this scale is a challenge, but the resulting beauty is worth it
INFORMATION
’Cody Hoyt: Fossil Record’ is on view until 12 March. For more information, visit Patrick Parrish’s website
Photography: Clemens Kois
ADDRESS
Patrick Parrish
50 Lispenard Street
New York, NY 10013
-
Designer Marta de la Rica’s elegant Madrid studio is full of perfectly-pitched contradictionsThe studio, or ‘the laboratory’ as de la Rica and her team call it, plays with colour, texture and scale in eminently rewarding ways
-
‘Nothing just because it’s beautiful’: Performance artist Marina Abramović on turning her hand to furniture designMarina Abramović has no qualms about describing her segue into design as a ‘domestication’. But, argues the ‘grandmother of performance art’ as she unveils a collection of chairs, something doesn’t have to be provocative to be meaningful
-
A local’s guide to Los Angeles by defiant artist Fawn RogersOregon-born, LA-based artist Fawn Rogers gives us a personal tour of her adopted city as it hosts its sixth edition of Frieze
-
'We need to be constantly reminded of our similarities' – Jonathan Baldock challenges the patriarchal roots of a former Roman temple in LondonThrough use of ceramics and textiles, British artist Jonathan Baldock creates a magical and immersive exhibition at ‘0.1%’ at London's Mithraum Bloomberg Space
-
20 years on, ‘The Gates’ makes a digital return to Central ParkThe 2005 installation ‘The Gates’ by Christo and Jeanne-Claude marks its 20th anniversary with a digital comeback, relived through the lens of your phone
-
In ‘The Last Showgirl’, nostalgia is a drug like any otherGia Coppola takes us to Las Vegas after the party has ended in new film starring Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl
-
‘American Photography’: centuries-spanning show reveals timely truthsAt the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Europe’s first major survey of American photography reveals the contradictions and complexities that have long defined this world superpower
-
Miami’s new Museum of Sex is a beacon of open discourseThe Miami outpost of the cult New York destination opened last year, and continues its legacy of presenting and celebrating human sexuality
-
Sundance Film Festival 2025: The films we can't wait to watchSundance Film Festival, which runs 23 January - 2 February, has long been considered a hub of cinematic innovation. These are the ones to watch from this year’s premieres
-
What is RedNote? Inside the social media app drawing American users ahead of the US TikTok banDownloads of the Chinese-owned platform have spiked as US users look for an alternative to TikTok, which faces a ban on national security grounds. What is Rednote, and what are the implications of its ascent?
-
Architecture and the new world: The Brutalist reframes the American dreamBrady Corbet’s third feature film, The Brutalist, demonstrates how violence is a building block for ideology
