By Skylar Stock
An elephant with a gun, a wall of masks and a striking red, white and blue motif were just a few of many circus displays in 34-year-old ceramics B.F.A. student Evan Lopez’s exhibition, “The Elephant in the Room.”
Held at the Gatov Gallery during election week, the politically charged installation was centered around Lopez’s comical nature, personal struggles and hard work.
“Any of my ex-girlfriends I’ve dated, if you ever ask them, they’ll tell you that I’m a f*cking clown,” Lopez said. “I have this really playfulness within the world and I’m really good at asking for forgiveness, not permission.”
Laid back in his chair, Lopez smiled and chuckled as he recounted his memories. A mug that he made himself sat across from him.
Lopez’s ceramics journey started his freshman year of high school when he signed up for a 3D design elective class and quickly made his way onto the pottery wheel.
Captured within the production process, Evan Lopez works on his sculptures for Elephant in the Room. Photo credit: Adriana Damian
Cuzick Pottery, a professional ceramics studio run by David and Mary Cuzick in Spring Valley was his next stop.
The studio hosted a pottery sale twice a year, and Lopez attended the December show.
“I went to that show and it dug me in deeper, I was even more hooked,” Lopez said. “It essentially set me up for the following 12 years.”
Approaching David Cuzick that same month to ask if there was anything he could help out with in the studio, Lopez was invited to come hang out after school and make pottery on an extra wheel.
Five months after that introduction, Lopez was asked to sell his pottery at the next sale in May. This was the start of a long time mentorship.
Masks of clowns line a blank wall at the Gatov Gallery on Nov. 6, with balloons that inflated and popped periodically throughout the exhibition using pneumatics. To the right, one mask depicts President-elect Donald Trump. Photo credit: Skylar Stock
Lopez’s life changed again when he got expelled one month into his senior year for graffiti.
Shino, a traditional Japanese glaze, was the culprit. It was Lopez’s tag name.
When confronted, Lopez recounts the vice principal of his school looking at him with daggers for eyes, saying, “You better have the best lawyer in the country if you think you’re gonna be able to get past this.”
“I wasn’t a bad kid, I wasn’t ditching or fighting or selling drugs. I wasn’t off track to graduate,” Lopez said. “When I went to my continuation school, it was actually a blessing in disguise.”
After graduating early from continuation school at 18, Lopez said he made a promise to himself – no matter how hard it is or what his struggles are, he will commit his life to art.
In 2018, Lopez became a full time student at Long Beach State for ceramics. All he wanted to do was be in the studio.
“I would work out in the gym, sleep in my van, and then come to the studio and work so that I could spend as much time as possible here,” Lopez said.
After taking academic leave in 2020, Lopez came back ready to showcase everything he had been working towards. “Elephant in the Room” was inspired by Lopez’s trip exploring and researching the biggest circus museums in the world.
“I actually really love the circus … I could have a lifelong career just pulling elements from the circus and creating artwork and relating them to my contemporary life,” Lopez said.
A peanut shell lays on the legs underneath the elephant on Nov. 6. The detail is among many of Lopez’s forethought intentions for the exhibit. Photo credit: Skylar Stock.
Christopher Miles, the head of the ceramics department and lecturer in Art History and Sculpture/4D ceramics, is a long time professor of Lopez.
“This show and the research process behind it kind of shows … the lengths that Evan will go to in order to grow his technical skills and broadening his point of view,” Miles said.
Lopez wanted to showcase circuses using bright colors to draw in viewers to relate it to America drawing in people to its patriotism. In the end, these are all a facade, according to him.
“As far as really being happy, we’re overworked, overtired, it’s extremely expensive. And it’s just kind of like a circus,” Lopez said.
Each detail within Lopez’s work, from masks with a runny glaze that mimic crying to peanut shells as bullet shells were specifically curated with a purpose.
“There’s all these subtleties within the work that tell a bigger story. These dystopian faces, these features that are kind of recognizable – some of them more, and some of them aren’t so straightforward – they’re all still sad and putting up a facade at the end of the day,” Lopez said.
The work, ultimately, is a commentary on how the country often buys into an illusion of entertainment while ignoring underlying issues.
Despite symbolizing the world’s turmoil, Lopez also seeks to portray its fun within duality; the circus is chaotic – but the chaos can also bring positivity.
“Even within the dire state of the world or all the sadness, I still see a lot of beauty in it and there’s still a lot of joy, humor, and love in the world,” Lopez said. “It’s too easy to get sucked up in the negativity – negativity is actually a disease that can be cured.”
To listen to a full podcast interview with Lopez, check out his episode on Artist Banter. Future projects and work from Lopez can be found on his Instagram, @evanlopezzzz.
