Ceramist Adam Silverman continues to explode antiquated distinctions between art and design with his new exhibition at the Edward Cella Art + Architecture gallery in Los Angeles. “New Pots and Sculptures” includes roughly two dozen vessels—each one a tour de force of organic form and deftly imbricated glazes—displayed on a dynamic platform of overlapping wood planks designed by Kulapat Yantrasast of L.A.’s wHY Architecture.

The pottery installation serves as a prelude to the exhibition’s surprising second room, which features large freestanding sculptures that ratchet up the level of abstraction and mystery in Silverman’s work. Considered as a whole, the show offers a provocative meditation on materiality and texture, function and meaning—a fitting nod to the Ken Price retrospective currently on view just across Wilshire Boulevard at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The lively opening attracted the cognoscenti and the merely curious alike, with notable appearances by actors John C. Reilly and Jason Schwartzman, writer/producer/director James L. Brooks (of The Simpsons and Terms of Endearment fame), designers Mike Powers and Jeff Andrews, and glass wizard Alison Berger. Steven Johanknecht, a partner in the L.A. design firm Commune, summed up the enthusiastic reception: “Adam’s pieces are so beautifully executed that they seem alive. The depth of color and the texture are irresistible—you want to squeeze them like a little puppy.”

“New Pots and Sculptures” through December 29; edwardcella.com