Carly Riegger

she/her www.carlyriegger.com @carlyriegger

The Hidden Knot Inside

The Hidden Knot Inside, 2020

This installation is a body narrative piece of a burdened back

with knots, tightness, and a history of labor-intensive activity.

It leaves the body with an unresolved internal structure that

pulls against and within itself.

The Hidden Knot Inside (Detail)

Irritate and Swell

Irritate and Swell, 2020

This is a narrative piece about a body with chronic pain. Pain

originating from the kidney and the tightness spreads throughout

the body. My choice to keep the figure separate is to reveal the

ceramic crater glaze that transforms the internal space. There is

a greater distance in the figure with bloating and inflaming

injury. The yarn provides a nice contrast to the hard-ceramic

surface. It also relates to the soft tissue found in the interior of

the body.

Irritate and Swell (Detail)

I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) after starting to feel pain in my body in 2012. I am in constant, severe, widespread pain that is completely invisible but also often debilitates my day-to-day activities. Clay offers me a voice in this pain; a way to actively speak for and against it. I aim to eliminate the invisibility of this huge part of my life. With illness and changing circumstances all around us now, adaption, honesty, and humility are very important. Health issues of all kinds are among us, visible or not, and my goal is to bring these silent struggles to life with my figures.