An unwavering desire to play with scale, permanence, and fragility recurs in Rebecca Manson’s practice. The New York-based artist (previously) is known for magnifying the minuscule and preserving fleeting lifeforms in porcelain, a material regarded for both its resilience and delicacy. These dichotomies emerge through dynamic sculptures of butterflies and moths that drape down walls and across floors in dramatic displays.
Each wing is comprised of tens of thousands of small, hand-crafted pieces Manson and her team refer to as “smushes.” Layered into undulating compositions, these individual pieces mimic the lush texture of scales and the protective patterns of disguise some species use to hide from predators.
Detail of “Blue Admiral Wing” (2025)
Manson’s newest body of work is on view next month at Jessica Silverman. Time, You Must Be Laughing takes its name from Joni Mitchell’s 1975 poetic song “Sweet Bird,” which invokes the constancy of change. Works like “Blue Admiral Wing” nest larger, almost agate-like components within rippling lines of smushes, while lustrous and dichroic glazes lend themselves to glimmering, iridescent surfaces.
For Manson, understanding that decay is inevitable doesn’t diminish nature’s beauty or intrigue. Instead, her sculptures invite us to get lost in the minute intricacies of each form, embracing the striking, rippling forms as they are in the moment.
Time, You Must Be Laughing runs from January 8 to February 28 in San Francisco. Find more from Manson on Instagram.
“Purple Aurora” (2025), porcelain, glaze, adhesives, canvas, pigment, and hardware, 70 x 64 x 5 inches
“Blue Admiral Wing” (2025), porcelain, glaze, adhesives, canvas, hardware, and glass, 97 x 56 x 2 inches
Detail of “Purple Aurora” (2025)
Detail of “Purple Aurora” (2025)
Detail of “Emerging Monarch” (2025)
“Emerging Monarch” (2025), porcelain, glaze, adhesives, canvas, hardware, 43 x 24 x 3 inches
Detail of “Double Madagascar”
Detail of “Double Madagascar” (2025)
Detail of “Blue Admiral Wing” (2025)
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
- Hide advertising
- Save your favorite articles
- Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
- Receive members-only newsletter
- Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
