Radical Presence: Clay + Wood Totems, Plates, Eggs, and The Body, Repeated

Jim Schatz and Peter Souza Jr., 2026

About the Exhibition

In Radical Presence, Jim Schatz and Peter Souza Jr. present a collaborative body of work examining queer embodiment through the union of clay and wood. Hand-formed ceramic elements — bearing the imprint of touch and vulnerability — interact with assembled wooden structures that evoke stability and duration.

The work engages themes of reverence, erotic honesty, and radical acceptance, positioning queer embodiment as both sacred and transformative. Through scale and materiality, the installation operates as a site of ritual and intimacy, where stoneware becomes both vessel and surface, grounding ephemeral gestures into lasting form.

Photographic ceramic plates, egg forms, and the large-scale tile installation The Body, Repeated extend this language — fragmented, repeated, and held in material. Totemic forms echo the body as both presence and structure, holding tension between intimacy and endurance.

The Inaugural Exhibition at Take Me Home

Radical Presence is the inaugural exhibition at Take Me Home, a new gallery and design space founded by artists Jim Schatz and Peter Souza Jr. Located within the Cadillac Arts Centre in Detroit's Little Village neighborhood, the exhibition introduces a new body of work exploring the dialogue between clay, wood, and light.

Rooted in decades of studio practice, the works explore balance, presence, and embodied making. The installation transforms the gallery into a hybrid environment that blurs the boundary between exhibition space and domestic interior.

Radical Presence marks the beginning of the Take Me Home exhibition program, positioning the space as a platform for collectible design, contemporary craft, and experimental work in clay.

Press Contact and Release

Jim Schatz jim@jschatz.com 866-344-5267

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