Cassi Camille
Self-preservation, an act of political warfare
2023
Reduction-fired stoneware, ash glazes, 20" x 20" x 60"
Artist statement
This work started after an exhaustive period of feeling the pressure to produce and be prolific in a busy society. I wanted to slow down and resist the need to overwork. Self-preservation, an act of political warfare, is an attempt to incite people to question the need to always do more; to question the competitive pressures to achieve the most in a life that already moves so fast. The figures on the surface of the work move with the cycles of labour, but also dance to the rhythm of life; of liberation and release. This movement has, for past generations, been a way to find freedom. And so rather than pushing myself through societal norms of success I decide to rest as a form of resistance. I decided to enjoy it and I danced. I chose the column shape for its strength and ability to convey a powerful stance. The title is a quote from Audre Lorde: "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."
Artist’s biography
Cassi Camille is a biracial artist of Haitian descent whose work is inspired by her everyday experience of interacting with her culture and social norms as a young woman of color. She mainly works in ceramics, but her practice also involves drawing, digital art, and mixed media work combining textiles and handmade clay sculptures. Cassi Camille is in her third year of Concordia’s Ceramics BFA program.
