Jo Spence rejected the term “artist,” preferring to describe herself as a “photographer” or “cultural sniper.” This skepticism toward the art world was reflected in her distinctive modes of practice, the alternative networks via which her work circulated, and the unusual trajectory of her career. The catalogue for this two-part show characterized Spence’s aesthetic as “rough edged, recycled, personal—in essence positively amateur,” yet her works were far from dilettante dabblings, being so fundamental to the daily existence of their maker. Rather, Spence’s production was characterized by

Although Markus Karstieß plays within the language and possibilities of his chosen medium—clay—the resulting artworks are far from what we typically expect of the material. The works are handmade, with ample signs of squeezing, kneading, prodding, cutting, pressing, and scraping. In their rough-hewn way, they recall the ceramic sculptures of Californians such as Peter Voulkos and the Otis Group of the 1950s, but the objects Karstieß makes are smaller and invoke ideas that are closer to the traditions of sculpture and painting than to those of craft.

For the works in this exhibition, “