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Prince of the Pissoir |
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BIOGRAPHICAL INFO “I’m becoming known as the urinal man, but I’m fine with that.” Clark Sorensen, 2007 Clark Sorensen can’t take himself too seriously. Recognizing the potential of the urinal, Sorensen garnered knowledge and aptitude from years of using men’s restrooms and his BFA in Sculpture from the University of Utah to craft whimsical urinal and sink sculptures for the powder room. After years of working in costume design, illustration, and computer animation, he could not resist the call of nature. In 2002, while standing over a urinal, Sorensen realized the potential of the porcelain pissoir and turned the mundane task of using the men’s room into a luxuriously satisfying experience. His work is a fusion of function and beauty, humor and grace. Press from around the world has taken note and Sorensen has been flush with success. His work has been in solo and group shows throughout California and the globe including Hungary and South Korea. Sorensen’s urinals and sinks have been installed in private homes and commercial settings around the United States and in far-reaching places including Denmark, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Germany, and Bermuda. Sorensen creates his sculptures in his studio in the Mission District neighborhood of San Francisco, CA. ARTIST STATEMENT My work reflects my interest in combining beauty with function and exploiting the discord between opposing elements in life and in art. The contradiction of taking an unsightly urinal and transforming it into a graceful object like a flower or shell is a potent combination. Because most people think of a urinal as being ugly or dirty, it is the perfect object to beautify. My pieces echo the classic conflicts between masculine and feminine, good and evil, soiled and chaste. By flushing or even urinating into my pieces, one’s experience can hopefully be even more intimate and engaging. SOLO EXHIBITIONS January 2009: “Down the Drain”, San Francisco, CA May 2007: “May Flowers”, San Francisco, CA June 2006: “Flush”, San Francisco, CA May 2005: “Nature’s Call”, San Francisco, CA GROUP EXHIBITIONS February 2008: Invited Exhibitor, The California International Orchid Exhibition, San Francisco, CA October 2007: “History & Art of the Toilet,” The Millenaris Exhibit Hall, Budapest, Hungary September 2007: Featured Artist, San Francisco Museum of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco, CA July 2007: Featured Artist, Patrick Moore Gallery, San Diego, CA February 2006: Invited Exhibitor, 26th Annual Kyung Hyang Housing Fair, Seoul, South Korea September 2005: “Visions in Clay” Juried Exhibition, Reynolds Gallery, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA HONORS & AWARDS June 2008: Presented to Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne at the Grand Opening of the Barton Grange Garden Centre, Preston, UK June 2005: Honorable Mention Award, “Visions in Clay” National Ceramics Exhibition for Red Hibiscus Urinal SELECTED PRESS Periodicals BBC News Scotland, "New £11.6m Aberdeen Garden Centre Sees Jobs Bloom.” BBC March 5, 2010. Tech Eye, “2008: The Year of the Bog.” Warsaw Business Journal January 7, 2008. Lee-St. John, Jeninne, "Livening Up the Loo." Time Magazine March 5, 2007. Crossan, Hazel, "Potty Art Leaves Clark Flushed with Success." The Weekly News February 3, 2007. aRt, "Nature's Call: An Artist's Interpretation of One Natural Need." Bathroom Today Jan-Mar 2006. Television "Urinal Artist Flushes Away Career." KPIX-CBS March 8, 2010. "New Meaning to Taking a Leak." BBC July 2008. HGTV: I Want That! Baths June 2006. Blogs “Custom-made Urinals and Sinks.” ebuild.com September 7, 2007. "Clark Sorensen's Urinal Sculptures." ApartmentTherapy.com October 19, 2006. "10 Fun Ways to Pee on a Flower." InventorSpot.com. Books Mattelaer, Johan J., Urine: Urination - Catheterisation - Collection - The Liquid White Gold (Arnhem: History Office of the European Association of Urology, 2008). Bourgey, Sabine, and Alain Schneider, Le Grand Livre Du Petit Coin (The Big Book Corner) (Ottawa: Editions Pierre Horay, 2006).
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All images and designs have been
copyrighted and are the sole property of Clark Sorensen. Copyright © Clark Sorensen. All Rights Reserved.
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