Ericka Ryba: Devour

September 7-28, 2018
Ericka Ryba: Devour
Opening reception: Friday, September 7, 5:00-9:00 PM
Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

Artist statement: Food can be devoured for physical consumption or an object can be devoured with the eyes. The term denotes a kind of all-consuming appetite that you feel from within. Devouring is not about mere sustenance but fulfills other primal urges. Often times these urges can leave us with a love/hate relationship with food after having succumbed to our food cravings. I started my career studying Culinary Arts and became interested in the health and nutrition of our bodies. After experiencing significant declines in my own health, I have come to believe wholeheartedly in the adages “you are what you eat” or “let food be thy medicine”. I have regained my health through food, but not without cost. There are plenty of others in my situation, finding ourselves gluten free, dairy free, additive free, sugar free, low carb, keto, paleo, and on and on. This body of work explores the double-edge sword that food represents in our culture. On one hand, it’s a very community based affair that can bring people together and can celebrate our various cultures, but there is also a very dark side concerning the effects of poor nutrition and overeating that is plaguing our society. An alternate meaning of the term devour means to consume destructively. For me, and many others, this is what happens if we indulge in the wrong foods for our bodies. This work represents my daily experience where I am surrounded by enticing and appealing food that I cannot enjoy physically. It can be a visual sensory experience but cannot be experienced beyond that.

Ericka Ryba is a local, Knoxville-based potter. She earned an AAS in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales in Charleston, SC and a BFA in studio Art and MS in Art Education from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She currently teaches art full time at Coulter Grove Intermediate School in Maryville and has a ceramics studio inside Mighty Mud in North Knoxville. Ryba’s pottery is available at various markets and shows in the region. Recently, she was the recipient of a 2019 Ann and Steve Bailey Opportunity Grant. For more information, visit  Instagram @erickaryba.