Abstract
This thesis explores the body as sensation rather than representation through ceramic sculpture and drawing. Grounded in a drawing-based practice, the work approaches clay as a responsive and transformative material that records touch, pressure, and time. Rather than depicting the human figure, the sculptures evoke bodily states through fragmented, organic forms that suggest tension, movement, and instability. The conceptual framework of the thesis is informed by Francis Bacon’s emphasis on sensation over representation, as discussed in his conversations with David Sylvester and in Gilles Deleuze’s The Logic of Sensation. Additional influences include the films of David Cronenberg, particularly their depiction of bodies that appear strangely alive, as well as the drawings of Hans Bellmer, whose intense line quality and physical immediacy resonate with clay’s material behavior. Drawing functions alongside ceramics as a parallel site of inquiry, informing the buildup, density, and surface logic of the sculptural work. Through variations in scale and physical presence, the work emphasizes embodiment as a relational and experiential condition. By prioritizing material intensity and transformation, this thesis positions ceramics and drawing as interconnected practices that engage the body through sensation rather than visual representation.