Mychal Vens is a figurative ceramic artist from Northeast Ohio. Having earned a BFA from Youngstown State University in 2024, he is currently an incoming MFA Candidate at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Vens has exhibited work both regionally and nationally, including at Currents, as part of the 57th annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), and gives lectures, demos, and workshops on sculpting the figure using traditional ceramic hand building methods.

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In my recent ceramic work, I craft a metaphor for the complexities of identity and personal agency through exploration of the visual tension between historical and contemporary influences. Drawing on sacred and ceremonial motifs, I use veiled and otherwise adorned forms to evoke a sense of concealment, ritual, or spiritual reverence, while using exposed figures to speak to vulnerability and defiance. By juxtaposing images of modesty and nudity, and by pitting traditional format against modern narrative, I challenge established conventions and create new allegories within my personal visual language. This duality reflects the push and pull of navigating societal expectations and personal authenticity, particularly within frameworks shaped by religion and tradition as seen through the lens of my queer identity.

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The faces of many of my figures also resist categorization of ethnicity or sex, and lack specificity in facial characteristics, rejecting fixed ideas of gender and identity. This deliberate ambiguity opens space for interpretation, encouraging a personal dialogue between viewer and object.

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Ultimately, my work invites reflection on the fluid, multifaceted natures of identity and spirituality, and the duality of emotion central to topics of personal faith and existential contemplation, particularly as a queer individual. Through these works, I aim to create a space where identity is celebrated, not as a singular definition, but as an evolving interplay of resilience, vulnerability, and self-discovery.

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text: (330) 984-3434

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