Iván Carmona’s work will be on display from January 8 to February 8.

Iván Carmona’s ceramic work exists in a long lineage of abstracted, modernist sculpture that taps into a deep well of nostalgia and indirect association. Inspired by Puerto Rican landscapes, Carmona sifts his own intimate memories through distinct shapes, colors, and textures to give a physicality to the immaterial.

Iván Carmona’s hands helped his father tend to a family home in Puerto Rico. The coarse finish of cement is coded to his personal history, as are the rich pastels and modernist lines that distinguish Puerto Rican architecture. Already a successful ceramicist, Carmona made the move to Portland to study more deeply, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2015, where he also assisted many artists in the studio and as an instructor. Carmona’s work has been exhibited in Portland, Oregon, Eutectic Gallery and Ash Street Project, and is held in the collections of King County, Washington; Boise Art Museum, Boise, Idaho; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, Santurce, Puerto Rico; and Gifu Prefecture Tokyo Kouryu High School, Japan.