Studio Alien

Eric Higgins is a ceramic artist based in New York City who crafts functional sculptures informed by themes of queerness, shame and personal transformation.

His work explores the forms and materials of bondage, including leather, rope, chains and metal while drawing from a wide range of queer symbology. Raw texture and graphic contrast are central to his visual language; controlling the clay’s natural grit through striking compositions of structure and shadow. His studio practice serves as an ongoing process of personal inquiry and community building.

By combining traditional wheel-throwing with experimental hand-building techniques, Higgins pushes boundaries to construct vessels that are both familiar yet subversive. He elevates queer subculture into meditative statues that invite reflection on feelings of yearning, vulnerability and identity.

Higgins is originally from central Maryland where he grew up playing with mud in the creek behind his family home; he has been formally working with clay for over 8 years.