The Shape We Hold is an inquiry into the ways we are shaped, and the ways we shape. Sandler’s practice considers the layered and complex history of clay as a place to unearth stories, particularly those that have been erased, distorted, or rewritten. Her exhibition at The Clay Studio utilizes regional materials and objects, including handmade bricks, sewage pipes, and plants, referencing historic clay, textile, and agricultural industries of the area. Dispelling the myth of neutrality, Sandler reveals how systems and structures shape narratives and meaning, and the role of material culture and industries as apparatus of control. Through contextual re-framing, default narratives dissolve, enacting agency and an embodied knowledge of the ways we are shaped, and in turn, our potential to shape.
