Eat What’s on Your Plate #5 (Another World is Possible), 2025

Alex Hodge   New & remarkable Artists

This ceramic sculpture blends classical tradition with contemporary urgency. The piece takes the form of a large plate featuring an intricate blue floral pattern. These motifs recall historical porcelain aesthetics and timeless botanical symmetries.
A bold intervention disrupts the harmony. Red lettering arcs across the surface in a stark, modern typeface. The words challenge the viewer to consider alternative realities. The contrast between the delicate blue vines and the aggressive red typography creates an immediate visual tension. 
The artist utilizes the circular format to loop the message into a continuous cycle. This creates a dialogue between decorative heritage and conceptual commentary. The glossy finish enhances the vibrancy of the pigments. The choice of a domestic object transforms a mundane utility into a site of reflection. The narrative focuses on the intersection of memory and modern identity. Every brushstroke and letter contributes to a layered exploration of cultural symbols. The composition balances the organic flow of the foliage with the rigidity of the printed text. The result is a provocative object that questions the boundaries of perception.

(Another World is Possible) This piece leaves the series on a high and hopeful note by asserting that there is another way; reminding us to dream and more importantly to put action to hope. 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