Do you know that feeling when you pick up a mug of orange juice and take a sip, only to discover that it’s actually milk? I get this same jolting ambiguous shiver looking at this set of mouthy ceramics.
Israeli-based artist Ronit Baranga has created a collection of crockery featuring realistic hands and mouths dotted on the pieces in unexpected places.
This surreal set of tableware wouldn’t be out of place in a horror movie. A chic blue and white teacup features an open mouth – created in near perfect likeness – complete with teeth, tongue and even a shimmering sea of saliva. White eerie fingers rise from plates, sometimes menacingly clutching a fork. Despite their hyper-realistic detail and odd, sort of sensual beauty, the most interesting thing about these pieces is the concept itself – hands and lips are integral to the process of eating and drinking after all, and transposing these tools we use onto the things we eat and drink with has a beauty in itself.
Although she studied Psychology and Hebrew Literature, Ronit is a truly talented sculptor and these unusual and unsettling pieces of crockery will stick in my mind long into the future, perhaps making me shiver with both mild terror and fandom like appreciation everytime I ever eat anything again.
You can see more of Ronit‘s work on her website www.ronitbaranga.com.