Koplin Del Rio is pleased to present You Should Smile More from Los Angeles based artist Elyse Pignolet. The exhibition, which includes a selection of ceramics and works on paper, marks the artist's first solo exhibition with the gallery.

The ceramic sculptures, part of Pignolet’s “Blue & White” series, are comprised of an array of plates, vases and tulipieres inspired by the extensive history of ceramics, and traditional porcelain decoration from around the world. The works in Pignolet’s series contain familiar patterns and motifs, emblazoned with commentary on highly-charged issues for women - such as female transgression and empowerment, sexual harassment, cultural stereotypes, inequality, and the dialectic between feminism and misogyny.

Pottery that may be read at first glance as familiarly decorative, delicate and classically influenced, upon further inspection reveals images and text containing politically confrontational, unapologetic messaging. The artist contrasts traditional techniques and patterns with unsettling, suggestive innuendos and tropes that are all too common in our language and culture.

Says the artist, “Intentionally, I begin my process with something strongly associated with the feminine... pretty, decorative, domestic, familiar, a vase, a flower arrangement. My hope is to then slightly create a shift; to make the situation a bit uncomfortable, a bit strange. Perhaps offensive or even vile. I’m interested in contrasts."