Far from dainty, Glen Taylor’s teapots, cups, and saucers (previously) tap into the contrasts and contradictions of human nature. Soldering industrial implements like barbed wire, shears, and chains to broken pieces of porcelain and pottery, the artist draws on our associations with aging, decorum, and everyday wear and tear.

Influenced by kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with metallic seams to highlight the object’s history, the sculptures allude to our inner experiences and emotions. “I continue on my journey of expressing my wonder, my confusion, my fierce battle with the dilemma of being a human,” he tells Colossal. “My work continues to open wider the wounds of love and living, of walking through this life unafraid to use my heart.”

Taylor will be exhibiting some work in New York next month. Follow Instagram for updates, and see more work on his website.