{"product_id":"ceramic-sofubi-sculptures","title":"Ceramic Sofubi Sculptures","description":"\u003cp\u003eDisplayed as a group but sold individually, these pieces are directly inspired by vintage sofubi toys, but made to look like votive figures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCeramic \u0026amp; glaze\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBiollante votive -  Plant monster votive - W 4\" x H 7.5\"\u003cbr\u003eGhidorah votive cup - Three-headed votice w\/ cup - W 7\" x H 8.75\"\u003cbr\u003eMothra larva votive - Larve votive - L 5\" x W 2.25\" x H 3.25\"\u003cbr\u003eMothra (adult) votive - butterfly votive - L 4\" x W 7.5\" x H 4.5\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGage Michael Wheatley is a queer artist based in Tiohtià:ke \/ Montreal. Working primarily in ceramics, Gage draws inspiration from cartoons, toys, and a deep connection to the natural world, where he approaches nostalgia as a mode of reflection and relationship rather than a fixed past. By recreating and reworking familiar forms, he examines how queer identity is shaped through play and how meaning accumulates over time.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStatement: My practice is rooted in making as a mode of thought. I use ceramics as a form of parallel inquiry into identity, attachment, and care. I am interested in how childhood objects and concepts serve as primary materials through which we understand ourselves. For queer children, these objects often offer a sense of recognition or comfort even before a formal language of identity exists.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBy recreating these familiar forms in clay, I reclaim them as sites of devotion. My work establishes a link between the contemporary nostalgia for play and the age-old tradition of the vessel. I treat the ceramic form as a container, both literal and metaphorical, for memory, thus elevating everyday symbols to the status of objects of reverence. Drawing on my background in archaeology, I am attentive to how meaning accumulates over time through the suggestion of use and the presence of fragility. Through scale and surface, I explore how personal stories can be carried and passed on. Ultimately, my work seeks to transform the ephemeral past into physical anchors for a queer present.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gage Michael Wheatley","offers":[{"title":"Biollante votive","offer_id":53206901489775,"sku":"GAGWHE-C0002","price":250.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ghidorah votive cup","offer_id":53206901522543,"sku":"GAGWHE-C0002","price":250.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mothra larva votive","offer_id":53206901555311,"sku":"GAGWHE-C0002","price":250.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mothra (adult) votive","offer_id":53206901588079,"sku":"GAGWHE-C0002","price":250.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2351\/6881\/files\/DSCF4743_e62ee8f2-8ea2-4537-8f98-ba2b56a3bce6.jpg?v=1781299890","url":"https:\/\/craftontario.com\/products\/ceramic-sofubi-sculptures","provider":"Craft Ontario","version":"1.0","type":"link"}