This gorgeous, handcrafted ceramic piece by artist Katie Croft is a response to the remarkable, enigmatic, and entrancing Anatomical Venus.

Created in the 18th century to teach a general public about human anatomy, the Anatomical Venus is a life-size, dissectible wax woman. The most famous example—with real human hair and Venetian glass eyes—was created at La Specola in Florence Italy, where she can still be seen today.

Katie’s ceramic figures are in response to her fascination with these uncanny objects of science and beauty that so often focused on female reproduction. The pregnant figures and partial figures representing the fetus are of particular interest to the artist as women fight for bodily agency across the globe.

Materials: ceramic, polymer clay, acrylic, adhesive, gold leaf

Dimensions: 14 inches high x 8 inches deep x 7 inches wide

Katie Croft is multi-disciplinary artist, art therapist, and educator. She is a painter and ceramic sculptor. Her current work is focused on the intersection of art and healing and always addresses and the feminine. The work featured here was inspired by The Anatomical Venus wax figures. Katie has interpreted these uncanny historical works utilizing clay and pigment as paint. Each figure is unique and inspired by current events, medical models, and whichever rabbit hole of the morbid and esoteric she has gone down during the body’s formation and creation.

Katie graduated from Pratt with her MFA in 2020 and her MPS in 2022. Katie actively exhibits her work. Most recently her work has been featured in Whose Story Is It?, Spilt Milk Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland; Site:Brooklyn, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, Winston Wachter Fine Art in Revisited 2021, Platform 2020, and SuperDutchess Gallery, NY. She’s been featured in numerous publications including the 2020 New American Paintings, No. 147, MFA Annual Issue and the inaugural issue of AllSheMakes contemporary art and culture magazine curated by ArtGirlRising. She was a 2022 finalist for Subject Matter, RePaint History, Art Girl Rising, Winter Prize, London, UK. Her work is currently featured online at Subject Matter, Site: Brooklyn, and Spilt Milk Gallery.