Sam Briegel

Artist Statement

I use the shared language of the body and vessel to explore the emotional and cultural landscapes of clothing. My functional porcelain pieces draw from garment-making and feature patterns and textures from my wardrobe—objects tied to comfort, beauty, and memory. Using screenprinting, monoprinting, and digital design, I create layered imagery on porcelain slabs that I construct into utilitarian forms by combining wheel throwing and handbuilding techniques. This practice reflects a lifelong, complex relationship with my body and the tension between self-acceptance and societal expectations. Clothing holds ambiguous power—both connective and exclusionary. Seams become metaphors for relationships: between textures, materials, bodies, and people. By working with porcelain “fabric,” I reconstruct moments of connection and disconnection, imprinting them into vessels that invite touch, reflection, and nourishment. These pieces offer reclaimed comfort and elevate everyday rituals—holding space for beauty, transformation, and embodied experience.