Amelia Lockwood at Various Small Fires

Under the baking LA sun, Amelia Lockwood’s gaggle of ceramic sculptures have taken up residence in Various Small Fire’s gravel-covered outdoor space. Each stoneware construction feels symbolic, with spirals, candles, winged figures, chains, and staircases building a Tarot-like symbolism across the pieces. Bubbling glazes, etched patterns, and appliqué details cover their surfaces with busy yet meaningful decoration, with no corner left untouched. 

In “Lovers Labra,” twin forms snake upwards from a bed of flames, crossing each other at the top and supporting tiered stairs atop which more flames dance. Another, “Shelves and Steps,” feels more architectural, built with tiers of clay that create various levels, one of which are peppered with lounging black dogs. 

While each sculpture offers, in typical Lockwood style, a detailed oddity to explore (you may remember my underwater dive a couple of summers ago where I encountered earlier works from Lockwood), it is within the group that the curious forms lock into a larger mystical narrative. Inside the gallery, a series of wall works showcase a more vortex-like, ocular, and layered construction — perhaps the portals through which Lockwood’s imagined world becomes possible.

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Photo: Amelia Lockwood, EIGHTH LANE (installation view) (2022). Image courtesy of the artist and Various Small Fires, Los Angeles/Dallas/Seoul.