Handmade Porcelain Discs, Waxed thread, Metal Hanging Bar

30” x 36” x 3”

2025

Lauren Herzak-Bauman  creates sculptural installations and objects that explore transformation, imperfection, and resilience through clay, repetition, and accumulation. Lauren works by arranging and layering hundreds of handmade clay elements into forms that reference landscapes shaped by erosion and pressure—shorelines, weathered objects, and fragments altered by use. The work develops through accumulation, with change emerging over time rather than being forced.

Lauren’s process is shaped by the intrinsic qualities of the material. She chooses clay bodies based on what the work requires—stoneware for strength and structural presence, porcelain for its simultaneous fragility and resilience. Warping, cracking, and bending are welcomed as collaborators rather than flaws, allowing the material to participate in the final form. The resulting works invite quiet attention, offering space to reflect on vulnerability, endurance, and the beauty that emerges when materials are allowed to behave as themselves.