Janet Loren Hill | Andrew Casto
A joint exhibition at Tephra ICA brings together the works of Janet Loren Hill and Andrew Casto, two artists whose practices engage with the absurd, the sublime, and the materiality of the world around us. Hill’s shaped paintings populate complex, surreal environments with her signature Chattering Teeth and Hammerhead People, characters that dramatize propaganda techniques and histories of coercion, labor, and potential rupture. Casto’s ceramic and mixed-media vessel forms, informed by a study of geological processes, explore the connection between large-scale environmental change and the interruptions of daily life. Together, their pieces play visually—painting versus ceramic, large versus small scale, texture versus smoothness—and thematically, sharing a vein of humor and absurdity along with varied references to the body and a commentary on contemporary existence.
When: March 14, 2026 through July 25, 2026.
Venue: Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, located in the greater Washington, D.C. area (exact address not provided in the source text).
Tickets: Price not available; check the venue’s website for admission details.
About the Artists: Janet Loren Hill is a New York–based artist and educator whose work blends textiles, ceramics, and painting. She holds an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a BFA from the University of Washington, where she also studied in Rome. Her solo show *Origin Story* at Kapow Gallery (NYC) received critical acclaim in *Widewalls* magazine, and her work has been recognized in *Artnet*, *Hyperallergic*, *The Boston Globe*, *Boston Art Review*, and *W Magazine*. She has participated in residencies at the Wassaic Project, Anderson Ranch, McColl Center, Beijing Royal School, and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) Studio Program. Andrew Casto (b. USA, 1977) lives and works in Iowa City. He is a Professor and Director of the School of Art, Art History, and Design at the University of Iowa. Casto has exhibited internationally in Spain, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Belgium, New Zealand, China, Switzerland, France, England, and Japan. He is a recipient of the Emerging Artist award by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, a long-term resident at The Archie Bray Foundation, and a finalist for the Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize in London. He has exhibited in more than ninety group and solo exhibitions.
Selected Works on View: The exhibition includes many individual pieces. Among Casto’s works are *More Slush* (2025, porcelain and gold, 12 x 11 x 9 inches), *Heterochromia* (2025, porcelain and gold, 7 x 6 x 15 inches), *On All Fours* (2025, porcelain, gold, and white gold, 13 x 11 x 15 inches), *New Accumulation Series 11* and *14* (2024 and 2025, porcelain and gold), *We Spoke of Fireflies* (2025, porcelain and gold, 18 x 16 x 15 inches), *We Know Fiction When We See It* (2025, porcelain and gold), *Hard Fawn* (2024, porcelain, stoneware, rubber, gold, and white gold, 15 x 15 x 18 inches), and *Huron Crush* (2025, porcelain and gold, 7 x 8 x 16 inches). Hill’s pieces include *Hammerhead Banner: Catching Flight and Whatever Drops Next* (2025, gouache on paper, 17 x 11 inches), *Hammerhead Banner: Eagle-Eyed and Swung Through* (2025, same size), *Hammerhead Banner: Sounding Like The Galloping Horses At The Root Of It All* (2025), *Hammerhead Banner: Grounded but Guarded* (2024, 17 x 14 inches), *Company Town: Where Truths Are Made Correct (Snailbrook, TX)* (2025, gouache on paper, 22 x 30 inches), *Company Town: Instruments for War (Steinway Village)* (2025, gouache on paper, 22 x 30 inches), the mixed-media *Binocular Viewpoint* series (2023–2024) incorporating oil on canvas, textile-wrapped foam, beads, glazed ceramic, fabric, and vintage needlepoint in sizes up to 66 x 30 x 6 inches, and *Standard Bearer: Be The Last To Watch It Fall* (2024, glazed ceramic, oil on canvas, fabric, thread, sequins, and plastic rod, 52 x 13 x 4 inches).
Note: The exhibition runs for over four months; check Tephra ICA for any scheduled gallery talks or related programming. Accessibility and specific showtimes are not mentioned in the source text—contact the venue directly for current hours and access information.