Conversations in Clay | Len Carella & Malinda Reich @ Themes+Projects

Themes+Projects presents Conversations in Clay, an exhibition featuring sculptures and vessels by San Francisco-based ceramic artists Len Carella and Malinda Reich.

Working in neighboring spaces at Ruby's Clay Studio, a longstanding San Francisco ceramics institution founded in 1962, Carella and Reich share an ongoing creative dialogue through their exchange of ideas, techniques, and kiln firings. Their use of similar clay bodies, glazes, and firing methods creates a connection between their work, while each artist maintains a distinct artistic approach. Through high-temperature reduction firing, subtle variations in color and surface emerge, giving each piece its own unique character. Presented together, their works extend the conversations of their shared studio environment into the gallery, inviting viewers to discover the connections and contrasts between two distinct approaches to clay.

Born in San Francisco, Len Carella grew up surrounded by the Bay Area's natural landscapes, architecture, and Japanese visual culture. He began working in ceramics at Parsons in New York City in 1998, midway through a twenty-year career in design. For nearly three decades, Carella has explored the possibilities of high-fire ceramics, creating functional objects, sculptures, and site-specific works. Meticulously constructed by hand in porcelain and stoneware, his sculptural forms investigate scale, shape, balance, construction, and proportion.

Swedish-born ceramic artist Malinda Reich creates wheel-thrown and hand-built sculptures and vessels in stoneware and porcelain. Drawing from her background in textile design, Reich approaches clay with a sensitivity to texture, pattern, and color. Her deliberate, layered process incorporates intricate carving, painting, and multiple glaze applications, often requiring several firings to achieve depth and richness of color. The resulting surfaces interact with light and shadow, revealing the intricate details and tactile qualities of each one-of-a-kind piece.