This ceramic sculpture by Anna Riess unfolds in the form of a spiral—an ancient, life-affirming symbol of growth, continuity, and return. At once meditative and grounded, the spiral appears across cultures as a visual metaphor for evolution, cycles, and inner motion. In Riess’s work, it takes on a quiet urgency: an anchor in uncertain times, and a visual reminder that life is rarely linear.

Placed atop the spiral are small, glazed nipples—arranged like watching eyes, quietly playful and deeply suggestive. Their presence reclaims the female nipple from censorship and taboo, challenging its banishment from public imagery. At the same time, the arrangement hints at how we read and recognize bodies—how a single form, even when abstracted, can call up the human figure through memory and association.

Whether used as a sculptural centerpiece or mounted on the wall, Spiral of Nipples draws the viewer into a gentle yet pointed reflection on visibility, care, and embodiment. It merges the intimate with the symbolic, inviting a moment of stillness at the very center of the table—or the room.

Anna Riess is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural anthropologist based in Vienna. Her work explores themes of embodiment, emotion, and interbodily relations through materials like clay, metal, and textiles. Deeply influenced by her experience of motherhood, she transforms everyday objects into symbolic forms - one of her gestures she describes as the “nippelization of the everyday.”

Riess is the co-founder of the Claygroundretreat and the creator of Circle of Clay, a workshop series she has led at institutions such as the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna or the Hotel Kai36 in Graz. Her workshops invite participants—regardless of prior experience—to develop their own sculptural language through hands-on engagement with clay.

Her sculptural objects possess a strong visual identity and tactile presence, marked by a recognizable aesthetic and a willingness to push the boundaries of material behavior. Especially drawn to the tactility of clay, Riess explores how movement and fluidity can be captured in form—leaving the trace of the hand visible in its hardened state. With a strong interest in local materials and interdisciplinary exchange, her practice bridges artistic, social, and ecological concerns in both conceptual and applied ways.