Abstract

This thesis investigates the intersection of contemporary painting and ceramics through the critical framework of Situationist thought, using it as a lens to destabilize binary systems of meaning. Ceramic forms are treated both as physical structure and as metaphor. The project draws on Situationist ideas to question authorship, value, and artistic authority, while embracing naïve and unresolved visual strategies. Repetition, variation, and spatial ambiguity shape works that exist between object and gesture, especially within the domestic sphere. Combining studio experimentation, material exploration, and surface intervention, this work proposes a hybrid practice where 2D and 3D operate together as interdependent destabilizing forces. The material at the core of this project is acrylic paint- a material whose roots in industrial production, DIY culture, and anti-establishment practices-operate as both a physical medium and an ideological throughline. Acrylic becomes not just a tool, but a position: one that resists tradition while remaining entangled in the very systems it critiques.

Publication Date

4-20-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Fine Arts Studio (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Art, School of

College

College of Art and Design

Advisor

Denton Crawford

Advisor/Committee Member

Christina Leung

Advisor/Committee Member

Amy McLaren

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Download

Share

COinS