Eat What’s on Your Plate #4 (Diversity is Our Greatest Strength), 2025

Alex Hodge   New & remarkable Artists

This ceramic sculpture challenges the viewer to reflect on the contents of their own consumption. A traditional blue and white floral pattern serves as the foundation. The intricate vines and blossoms evoke a sense of timeless domesticity. Over this classical backdrop, a bold red inscription cuts across the center. The text creates a rhythmic tension between historical ornament and contemporary critique. 
The artist leverages the familiarity of pottery to explore deeper societal themes. Red lettering interrupts the harmony of the porcelain surface. This visual collision forces a dialogue between tradition and modern identity. The juxtaposition of colors creates a striking optical vibration. 
The piece functions as a narrative fragment. It transforms a functional object into a provocative statement on femininity and cultural memory. Every curve of the ceramic form supports a poetic tension. The red pigment stands out against the cool blue tones. The artwork concludes with a precise focus on the intersection of text and pattern.

(Diversity is Our Greatest Strength) Taking a positive turn, the fourth plate highlights the importance of valuing each human experience. Difference can become a great teacher if we allow room for it to flourish. The Eat What's on Your Plate series is comprised of wall plates that draw on the history of blue and white pottery as symbols of wealth, elitism and consumerism. The plates beckon the viewer with brash red text reminiscent of Barbara Kruger's work. The title phrase is a play on words in several capacities, directing the audience to deal with what is at hand, while simultaneously admonishing the act of taking from others. They are all hand built using the slab method, and utilize underglaze painting, carving and transfers. Alex Hodge is an artist-ceramist primarily interested in creating work that juxtaposes the canon of Western art with the lived experiences of contemporary women. As a queer woman growing up in the rural south, she became familiar with the feeling of being on the periphery, spending her youth wandering the woods, collecting material for small sculptures and creating stories for herself.

Hand-built plate with sgraffito. From the Blurb series