Date of Award
Spring 5-31-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Ceramics
First Advisor
Shoji Satake
Second Advisor
Katy Schimert
Third Advisor
Douglas Borkman
Abstract
Loss lingers like a shadow, a weight no time can lift. Longing becomes a silent scream, echoing within, unanswered. Internal pain festers in the quiet, where unhealed wounds weave themselves into the fabric of being. Each breath is both survival and surrender, a fragile balance between hope and the hollow ache of what was, what will never be, yet could be.
Abstract
My work is deeply influenced by my experiences within a dysfunctional family structure and is explored through the relationship of emotional vulnerability and its effect on self-worth. Layered into the work is a confrontation with the scars, conflict and neglect, along with the reckoning with these wounds - not for resolution, but for coexistence and catharsis. Through lived experiences, I navigate the unseen imprints of generational trauma, delving into the intricate landscapes of absence, longing, loneliness, intimacy, desire, love, shame, guilt and insecurity. My practice examines the complex interplay between inherited pain and personal identity, tracing how these somatic imprints manifest in the body, memory, and materiality.
Working primarily with clay, metal, wax and watercolor drawings, I engage with figurative abstraction, where the body exists as both a vessel and a site of memory with tenderness and fracture coexist. I see clay as a living medium, paralleling human experience, quietly capturing and preserving the mental and physical traces of life. The soft, fragile nature of clay becomes a metaphor for vulnerability, while its resilience speaks to the profound capacity for strength and transformation. This duality forms a continuum that binds narratives, memories, and questions, a space where time dissolves and possibility unfolds. Its ability to be shaped, broken, and reformed mirrors the cyclical nature of healing and evokes a ritualistic practice of repetition in my work, where each gesture is both an offering and an act of becoming.
The juxtaposition of organic and geometric elements in my work reflects the psychological extremes of human nature. Resonating with the serenity of rawness, I embrace muted hues and delicate textures to emphasize the underlying nakedness of being. By embracing the fluidity of material and meaning, my work becomes a threshold for introspection. I am drawn to the search for belonging and the quest to understand the human psyche through the act of making.
Recommended Citation
Mohan, Mahalexmi, "Echoes of Longing" (2025). Masters Theses. 1371.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1371
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