Merging the movements and weight of her body with hunks of clay, Brie Ruais stomps, kicks, stretches, wedges, rakes, and pulls this earthy material into abstract, organic forms that serve as beguilingly beautiful records of her actions. In her words, “For me, the work [is] about what happens when one’s body is overcome by a physically demanding process...We are forced to remember that making something sometimes requires the laborious use of the body.” Listing Ana Mendieta and feminist theory as influences, she sees her work as a feminist version of Richard Serra’s. Ruais’s projects begin with a set of instructions, which she carries out quickly, infusing the clay with the energy of her process. With heavily worked surfaces finished with richly colored glazes, her pieces recall landscapes, abstract paintings, and the contours of the body itself.