"LANTERIER | 33082" is so cool. Traver Gallery

Hong Kong-born, Seattle-based ceramicist Ling Chun's creations are playfully unexpected. To create her impressive sculptures, Chun manipulates earthen matter in a way that seems cosmic, composed not of minerals but stardust. She drips, smears, and slides liquid glazes onto hot pieces straight from the kiln, firing and layering them multiple times until she's finished. The completed pieces play with the conventional wisdom of ceramics and reflect her experience as a Chinese immigrant living in America.

In her latest show at Traver Gallery, Missing Moon, Chun says the exhibition "explores the moon as a symbol of togetherness in Chinese culture and my search for the meaning of belonging." Included in the show is "LANTERIER | 33082" (above), a pleasingly bulbous, organic, and smooth vessel covered in emotive swashes of blues, pinks, and yellows. The piece is also adorned with hair and fur—an uncommon material that pops up often in Chun's work. Missing Moon incorporates some of Chun's neon work, with pieces like "SIGH/SIGN (Blue) | 32472)" (below) that feature blue and gold mounds of clay on an acrylic sheet backlit by neon light.

Ling Chun's Missing Moon is up at Traver Gallery until April 2. Read more of The Stranger's suggestions here.

A view of SIGH/SIGN (BLUE) | 32472.
A view of "SIGH/SIGN (BLUE) | 32472." Traver Gallery