#40 – What Do Cracks Reveal That Clay Can’t Hide? | Ara Koh

Ceramic-based artist and educator Ara Koh returns to The Truth In This Art for her second conversation with Rob Lee. Known for her layered clay paintings and material-intensive installations, Ara shares how her practice has deepened through repetition, research, and unexpected cracks—both literal and metaphorical.

In this episode, Ara talks about processing wild clay from her travels, the physicality of working with heavy materials, and the importance of fitness in sustaining her studio life. She reflects on inherited discipline, finding freedom through form, and why staying curious—about geology, textures, or even pickleball—is key to her creative rhythm.

Highlights include:

• How a geology book inspired a new body of work built through 100+ clay pours
• What her grandmother’s love of Monet taught her about aesthetics
• The unglamorous truth behind art labor—and why she doesn’t mind it
• Unlearning ceramic rules while teaching them to others
• Thoughts on burnout, balance, and the meditative value of hot yoga

🎧 Want more? Check out Ara Koh’s first interview in the archive—where we talk about her background, early influences, and the foundation of her clay-based work.
This interview was recorded in person at Eaton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

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