Samantha and Sarah Ferrer of 2win Studios transform pop culture touchpoints into ceramics

Sarah and Samantha Ferrer are first generation Cuban American twins based in Miami, Florida, who are reinventing vaporwave in the form of ceramics. Drawn towards themes of girlhood and documenting the unique culture of their home town (“which often times feels like its own country,”) these talented sisters capture an endearing mix between kitsch and exhibition art that intertwines pop cultural touchpoints. The semiotics of imagery such GameBoy Advances and cereal (created out of weepy anime girl heads) lend themselves to ceramics, touchable things that – when rendered through precious ceramic – become untouchable and gain a new physicality that prompts the viewer to interact with nostalgia in a deeper way. “Whether we’re recreating something that already exists, a feeling, or recounting a viral moment, our goal is to immortalise those moments in clay, in the form of an object that will last forever,” says Samantha.

Before they ever touched clay, the twins focused on drawing and painting, which comes through their wonderfully decorated urns that mimic Louis Vuitton or figurines of anime inspired characters in the form of skaters, angel winged boys and Sailor Moon. “We try to make each piece feel like a three-dimensional version of one of our drawings or paintings,” says Sarah.

A nod towards their Cuban heritage, the twins’ bust of Scarface’s Tony Montana evokes the stone heads seen in vaporwave iconography, an aesthetic that often transcends nostalgic imagery. The twins also have a healthy competition with each other, naturally. “Sarah’s work tends to be smaller, more detailed, and her palette is more muted,” says Samantha. “Whereas Samantha’s work is big, bold, more gestural and rough,” says Sarah. By the end of this year, the twins plan to open a ceramics studio in order to connect to the wider community through art. But for now, Samantha and Sarah are connecting to their local scene through recognisable pop culture moments, finding new ways to transform their drawings into something to be seen and related to.