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At Breakfast
Thomas Martinez Pilnik
- Glazed terracotta
- 2023
- 11" x 7" x 5"
"I come from a family of smokers. We all have smoked or continue to smoke. Some of us have already died or will eventually die from it, and most of us still think wistfully of smoking. I fall into that camp, and although I quit my 10-a-day habit when I moved to the US in 2012, I can barely go a day without thinking about a cigarette. For me, the tactility of smoking is its main draw. As a permanent fidgeter, the act of rolling your own ciggie, filling the paper with Golden Virginia and licking the seam, or opening a fresh pack of American Spirit Blues and hitting the bottom of the pack to release the first cigarette are all embedded in my muscle memory. Embedded in my memory too, are the smelly mornings filled with love and addiction."
- Thomas Martinez Pilnik
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Thomas Martinez Pilnik
Raised by Brazilian parents in London, Thomas Martinez Pilnik works primarily in ceramics and textiles to explore the complexities of familial ties and personal history.
Navigating the delicate boundary between reality and memory, Pilnik draws inspiration from childhood recollections of grandparents, experiences of post-divorce custody arrangements, and the intimate atmosphere of family members gathered around the kitchen table enveloped in cigarette smoke.
Through textured glazed terracotta sculptures, Pilnik captures the raw essence of physicality and touch-memory. Each piece bears the imprint of the artist’s own hands–molded, pinched, and pulled in an attempt to immortalize the process of creation itself. By infusing his works with autobiographical elements and private moments of love and trauma, Pilnik crafts tangible records of his emotional journey. Ultimately he invites the viewer to consider the nuances of their own past and contemplate the universal themes of human experience embedded within each piece.