Existing comment:
Sharif Bey
Defying neat categorization, Sharif Bey's work ranges from functional pots and beaded necklace forms to sculptures pierced with nails and ceramic shards. Throughout his work, Bey investigates cultural identity, symbols of status and community, and notions of power and ritual. As a dual associate professor at Syracuse University in both the College of Arts and the School of Education, he maintains a studio space just steps from where he teaches, allowing him to combine practice with theory. This hybrid model allows Bey to continuously reinvent his artistic process, joining rhythms and routines within daily work and life. A way to sustain his own identity, he believes the legacy of his work is defined not only by its materiality but in the ritual of making, and all the rites associated with their conception. |