Eva Tellier is a sculpture artist based in Brooklyn who specializes in blending ceramics with grotesque and visceral materials.
Originally from France, she moved to the United States three years ago to complete her Master's degree at Alfred University. A year ago, she relocated to the city to further pursue her artistic endeavors.
In her biography, Tellier describes her work as embodying a “guttural delicacy.” Utilizing textures such as hair, beeswax, and silicone, her work challenges the brain’s preconceived notions of beauty and art.
Charlotte: Your work explores the body through themes of femininity, vulnerability, and intimacy. How do these ideas influence the way you approach the body as both a subject and a material?
Eva: It's more about how I think and feel and stuff. And then it ends up being about the body, which I think is kind of like interesting because. Like, do I think about the body?
Yes, all the time. But it's also just a way for me to be able to explore it outside of myself. I often say that if I were not like cutting into the sculptures or adorning them, then maybe I'd be like tattooing myself, you know, or I'd be doing some kind of other practice that would be like, maybe I'd have crazier hair, right?
It's about an alternative form or another way to move through the world.
Charlotte: What's one word you hope stays with someone after they experience your work?
Eva: …Yum.
Charlotte: 3 words that describe your work.
Eva: I think it’s... provocative, like, in your face-ish. Yeah. In your face is probably the 3 words.
Charlotte: What’s a texture your drawn to?
Eva: Forever and always, I love jelly. I like the texture of my Crocs. I wear them every day, and I’m so happy in the summer because I love thet texture of them on my feet. It’s funny because the type of foam that they used is called EVA.
Charlotte: What’s one film, book, artist, or piece of media that has stayed with you creatively?
Eva: There’s this text called “Parasites and Perverts” by Jack Halberstam. That kind of opened up my brain.
Charlotte: Silence, music, or something else while you’re working?
Eva: Music, definitely. I will listen to a lot of hyper-pop stuff. I share my studio with my best friend, and we’re blasting pop, girly pop music all day. It’s a club in there. It’s not very tranquil, and you can see that in both of our work.
