Austin Ballard

As an object maker, Austin Ballard’s work often conflates innovation and tradition, engineered and natural materials, high and low art—subverting societal and cultural assumptions of gender and labor associated with handicrafts. Through visceral, yet restrained handmade objects and installations, his work explores the influence domestic space, familial relationships, social anxiety, memory and loss have on our lived experiences. Raised in North Carolina, where the textile industry historically played a fundamental and utilitarian role, Ballard has a vested interest in making art approachable and accessible.

With an interest in furniture and home decor, he creates vividly-patterned sculptures out of woven cane and needle-point canvas. Utilizing traditional techniques of textile pattern-making, natural dying and ceramic slab-building he creates ‘seamful’ works. This process ensures his hand and labor are revealed, contrasting the manufactured polish of high-end, modern design.

Inspired by the designed and built environment, his recent series of functional sculpture focuses on everyday household objects, and how these objects shape—whether dramatically or subtly—how we see and respond to the world.

Submitted by Hodges Taylor