24: sub rosa

April 22, 2024 - July 22, 2024

Abbey Peters' research resides in the inherited secrets buried within a home - whispers of stories and old wives' tales passed down from previous generations of women to protect those forthcoming. Women have historically been placed in caretaking and homemaking roles; Peters investigates this innate and learned knowledge used to survive and take care of one another. This selection of objects offers safe storage; the floral patterns concealing and protecting the vessels and their contents by harnessing the usual dismissal of femininity, a camouflage hiding it in plain sight. Peters activates secrecy as a tool for survival by considering the physical act of burying, covering, and hiding as a form of protection and resistance. This veil of care subtly teeters in the past and present with Peters offering her inherited secrets and stories for future generations.

Abbey Peters received her BFA in Studio Art from the University of Arkansas, studying ceramics and art history, and is currently pursuing an MFA at the University of Iowa. She has received numerous research grants to study beekeeping, Victorian herbal remedies, and wallpaper preservation in London, UK. With a background in floral design, Peters activates floral patterns and imagery from home spaces to explore ideas of matrilineage, secret-keeping, and inherited women's work to create protective ceramic sculptures.

To view more of her work, please visit abbeyjpeters.com

Abbey Peters, Three Pills, ceramic, 2023, 8.5" x 8.5" x 10.75"