Neil Celani

Bio

Neil is a ceramic artist homesteading in Batavia, IL with his wife and two dogs, Hank and Alfonzo. Following an 8-year stint in Lincoln, he now works part-time as the Ceramics Coordinator at Waubonsee Community College and makes pots in his garage. He earned his MFA at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in 2020 and his BA at the University of Northern Colorado in 2007. Neil makes pottery to appease the Simpsonic gods, channeling ancient makers and artifacts from the depths of history to guide his human need to create. In his spare time, Neil likes to bleep and bloop on his collection of synthesizers, listen to vinyl records, and enjoys going on adventure walks with the dogs.

Artist Statement

My pots are totems of my existence. With the capacity to communicate conceptual meaning and to serve as objects of utility, pottery not only dances in the notorious territory between art and craft, it embodies the human spirit.

I use references and symbols adopted from the Simpsons to articulate and express my experiences in pottery form. Pottery is a universally understood language and I would argue that in the modern world, so too are the Simpsons. By abstracting elements of the Simpsons as symbols, I draw parallels between contemporary American culture and ancient civilizations, a playful mashup that acknowledges the paradox of making permanent objects of such transitory pop-culture idols.

I have a profound fascination with the kaleidoscopic histories of pottery and I use the pot as a foundation upon which to build my ideas and inspirations. Just as ancient makers deified and worshiped the natural world around them through abstraction and symbolism in objects, I translate my own reality using the pottery form to reflect on my experiences and creative influences. This work gives me an outlet to express the beauty and absurdity that is life.

Exhibitions