Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became interested in becoming an artist? Who or what were some of your most important early influences?
I grew up in a very small town called Pigeon in southern Louisiana. Needless to say, there isn’t any art happening there but there is a ton of nature. During that time, I would draw nonstop, trees, animals, and these small characters on the packaging, video games, etc. It was seen as a hobby by my parents so I wasn’t really exposed to art or the possibility of being an artist until I was in college. I think in my third year of college, I finally signed up for a basic drawing course and was assigned to learn about Alberto Giacometti, which turned out to be amazing for me. I didn’t know I could do something like be an artist but that really set me onto the course I am today. Shortly, after I began stumbling across and finding artists like Kiki Smith, Thomas Houseago, Jenny Saville, Martin Puryear, Lucy Skaer, and plenty of others.
Where are you currently based and what initially attracted you to working in this place? Are there any aspects of this specific location or community that have inspired aspects of your work?
I am currently based in Detroit, Michigan. I began working in Detroit after having graduated from Cranbrook Academy of Art which is in nearby Bloomfield Hills. I chose to stay and work in Detroit because I had an art handling position right out of graduate school. It was also very easy to stay because a large group of my friends decided to stay as well.
Can you describe your studio space? What are some of the most crucial aspects of a studio that make it functional? Do any of these specific aspects directly affect your work?
My studio space is approximately 400sqft within a larger 1200sqft space that I share with other artists. I do everything in my studio! I have a photo booth set up, kilns, storage, power tools for crating, and of course everything I need to make clay sculptures. My work is definitely affected by my current studio setup–works need to be of a certain size to fit into the kiln, be photographed, etc. but I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.
What is a typical day like? If you don't have a typical day, what is an ideal day?
On a typical day, I usually spend about 8 hours working in my studio. There is always some kind of paperwork or planning that needs to be done as well. I usually try to cut out as many distractions before I go to work which means doing planning for the day in the morning, running errands, gathering supplies, etc. to then have uninterrupted time later in the day.
What gets you in a creative mindset?
When I see how things and objects operate in the world–mechanical, symbolic, etc. often gets the creative juices flowing for me. I love to think in broad lateral strokes and how things can be applied to what I am doing from another field of study. I am often asking myself, “how can I do that?” and follow it up with drawings about the possibilities. This process I think enables me to then go into the studio and hash it out in clay.
What criteria do you follow for selecting materials? How long have you worked with this particular media or method?
I stick with one or two kinds of clay to work with. The one I use is very sandy and gritty and is made for sculptural works. Clay can vary so much in terms of its malleability, strength, and color that I have settled on only a few kinds to get somewhat predictable results. I’ve been working with this same style of clay for about 5 years now. Periodically, I will do several tests with other clays and glazes and have a bit of fun, but I usually don’t care for the results.
Can you walk us through your overall process? How long has this approach been a part of your practice?
Most of everything I create starts from a series of drawings. I continually sketch and redraw combinations of works to flush out the possibilities. This part of my process happens daily and I have hundreds of drawings that I reference when I am building in the studio. I only create about 10% of what is drawn, mostly due to a variety of technical challenges such as gravity and fragility.
Can you talk about some of the ongoing interests, imagery, and concepts that have informed your process and body of work over time? How do you anticipate your work progressing in the future?
All of the imagery within my work can be traced back to my daily encounters with wildlife, a history of natural disasters, human-made catastrophes, the stories I heard as a child, growing up in the American South, and occasionally my experience as a forensic sculptor and researcher. In the future, I am continuing this exploration of personal myth and storytelling. I’m working to introduce new forms and build upon the previous work to create larger sculptures. Some of the new imagery I am working on within drawings now includes festivals, celebrations, and potlucks.
Do you pursue any collaborations, projects, or careers in addition to your studio practice? If so, can you tell us more about those projects, and are there connections between your studio practice and these endeavors?
I typically do not pursue many collaborative projects but am always open to the idea. I like discussing the opportunity to see what each participant can bring to a collaboration. Two projects I’ve done in the past include making a small edition of sculptures for the online art platform Exhibition A and working with Drum Machine Editions and Rita Mookerjee to publish a collaborative book of drawings and poems.
As a result of the pandemic, many artists have experienced limited access to their studios or loss of exhibitions, income, or other opportunities. Has your way of working (or not working) shifted significantly during this time? Are there unexpected insights or particular challenges you’ve experienced?
Everything for me exploded when the pandemic hit. I had been teaching, which totally changed overnight to a “remote” platform, which is mind-boggling in regards to ceramics. I lost that position at the end of the semester. In addition to this, I was a preparator and art handler at an art museum. That job also didn’t last long in the pandemic and I was forced to try to find work elsewhere. I did quite a lot of freelance art installation for private clients in the time after moving on from the museum but ultimately made a decision to try to focus on my art practice, which had temporarily moved into my basement during lockdown. In March, before lockdown, I traveled and installed a solo show in Columbus, Ohio, which never opened to the public. However, in the following months, I managed to secure several serious opportunities to show my work–mostly thanks to social media. Even with the good news, it was hard to focus while the world seemed to be melting down but it was really one of only a few things I could do to eel somewhat okay. And it was a serious challenge to want to make work. There is a ton of sculptures that I made during lockdown that no one has ever seen. I made them as a combination of habit, emotional support, and sheer will and they were necessary for me to process what was happening.
Can you share some of your recent influences? Are there specific works—from visual art, literature, film, or music—that are important to you?
The film, “Hard to Be a God” by Aleksei German is something I think about often and seems important to me even though I do not know why. It’s a really hard film to watch and is long and disorienting. But I think unfortunately it has a lot of connections to the present state of the world.
My influences come from my past and the experiences I continue to have. Apart from that, I really try to not be influenced by external voices so much- especially in visual art. Some important things to me are revisiting where I grew up, reintroducing myself to that culture, and continuing to hear the stories of the people who live there. Those are the things that drive my work into unexpected directions and self-discoveries.
Who are some contemporary artists you’re excited about? What are the best exhibitions you’ve seen in recent memory and why do they stand out?
‘Adam Pendleton: Who is Queen?’ at MoMA is easily one of the best exhibitions I’ve seen in years. The towering five-story structures supporting sculpture, painting, moving images, textiles, and sound sculptures were stunning. I was completely overwhelmed and engaged with his work. From multiple stories within the museum, you could view Pendleton’s works. It felt as if exploring the works from floor to floor was excavating memories and history.
‘Brie Ruais: Some Things I Know About Being A Body’ at albertz benda gallery was a very stunning recent show as well. Her work is so visceral and raw but transforms into these very beautiful bursts of glazed ceramic. The comparisons between the natural and human worlds as well as the mind and the body are really powerful connections that fascinate me endlessly.
Do you have any tips or advice that someone has shared with you that you have found particularly helpful?
Don’t compare yourself to others. Ever.
What are you working on in the studio right now? What’s coming up next for you?
Right now, I’m focusing on an upcoming solo show at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland. The exhibition will showcase some new dog-themed sculptures, so I’ve been making a ton of dogs, puppies, and dog toys–mostly balls. After that my focus will shift toward completing some large-scale commissions and various works for group shows.
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BIO
Wade Tullier (b.1988, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a visual artist working primarily in ceramics and sculpture. His work and process are heavily influenced by storytelling, myth, and being raised within the landscape of southern Louisiana. He holds a BFA from Louisiana State University and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Tullier has exhibited nationally and internationally with shows in Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Reykjavik, and Munich. He was also included in the influential ceramics exhibition, 'Clay Pop' at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in New York.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Storytelling, the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, is an oral form of language, predating the written word, associated with the practices and values essential to developing one's identity. Much in how our ancestors pass down anecdotes to shape the community's morals and educate younger generations, Tullier's practice mimics these verbal processes. The repetition he puts forth develops into a physical myth, adding a multitude of layers to the dominant stories surrounding Tullier's work. "I make sculptures that depict animals, figures, phenomena, and everyday objects. They are always recognizable but become elusive as I continue to reinterpret each piece. In this way, my sculptures act as characters in oral history: they transform as they are retold. While these objects remain familiar and are easily identifiable, the combinations of works remain ambiguous. They echo the layered, nonlinear structure of memory as it is excavated through storytelling."
LINK | MAAKE
