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NEW CERAMICS
NEW CERAMICS
T h e E u rop e a n C e ra m i c s M a g a z i n e
04
4 197150 010006
4
15
Galerie Marianne Heller
„Summer Specials“
28th June to 26th July 2015
“Well-known –
Up-to-date”
International ceramics;
Accrochage
Finissage on 26th July 2015 with
“Marc Leuthold – USA”
Lecture and exhibition
9th August to 20th September 2015
“Between Prag and
Budweis”
Works by Czech artists
12.Juli
13.
September
bis
bis
1. November
16.August
2009
2009
Eröffnung : Sonntag,
Sonntag,
13. September,
12.Juli
11.30 Uhr11.30 - 18 Uhr
64
Opening hours:
Tel.: + 49 (0) 6221-6190 90
Tue - Fri 11-13 & 14.30-18 Uhr
www.galerie-heller.de
Öffnungszeiten:
www.galerie-heller.de
Sat
11-18
info@galerie-heller.de
Di-Fr: 11 -13 Uhr und 14 -18 Uhr
info@galerie-heller.de
Sa:
11 -18 Uhr, und nach Vereinbarung
Tel: + 49 (0) 6221-6190 90
zus.:
So,12.07. + So,16.08. 11.30-18 Uhr
Galerie Marianne Heller
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 2
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage
2
Am
Stadtgarten
Am
Stadtgarten
D-69117 Heidelberg
NEUE KERAMIK
MÄRZ / APRIL 2010
D-69117
Heidelberg
NEW CERAMICS
NEW CERAMICS
CONTENTS
4 / 2015
04
NEWS
08
14
18
22
26
30
PROFILES
Hans & Birgitte Börjeson Velimir Vukicevic
Janet MacPherson
Nathalie Doyen
Frauke Albert
Suvira McDonald
33
FORUM / EDUCATION
“Form Follows Failure” – Gustav Weiß
36
37
38
40
42
43
44
46
48
52
54
56
EXHIBITIONS / EVENTS
Galerie ATELIER NO 4 – Sankt Wendel
“Bembel-Experiment” – Höhr-Grenzhaen / Frankfurt
Salzburg Ceramics Prize – Salzburg 25 Years of the Keramikmuseum Berlin – Berlin
Raval de l'Art – Roquetes, Tarragona
Ceramic Portrait – Oldenburg
CERAMIC ART – London
In the Passage of Time – Cathy Fleckstein – Kellinghusen
NCECA – Providence
Woodfiring Conference – Guldagergaard
COLLECT – London
EXPONATE 2015 – Höhr-Grenzhausen
58
62
CERAMICS & TRAVEL Studying in Korea – Seoul Korea
64
DATES / Exhibitions / Galleries / Museums
Exhibition diary
68
74
76
COURSES / SEMINARS / MARKETS
International
ADVERTISEMENTS International
PREVIEW / IMPRINT
Information
40
International
4
Denmark
Serbia
Canada
Belgium
Germany
Australia
Art appreciation
8
Germany
Germany
Austria
Germany
Spain
Germany
UK
Germany
USA
Denmark
UK
Germany
14
IN STUDIO
Simcha Even-Chen – Evelyne Schoenmann Interview / Developing skills
International
33
26
COVER:
Variations
by
Hans & Birgitte
Börjeson (DK)
Page 8
52
RAKUVARIA
Raku Festival in Sevenum
4/2015
Dear Readers of NEW CERAMICS
I
“
t's all about joining in!" says Ed Knops, and every two years, together with his family and his wife
Ine, he puts on a very special festival. I have rarely been so impressed by an event as I was by this
year's Rakuvaria Festival in Sevenum on the premises of the Knops family – you can see some snapshots
on the opposite page.
Of course, major international events have their very special attraction, which stems primarily from
the demonstrations and talks. On top of that there is the very important factor of meeting old friends and
acquaintances again that you only see once a year, or perhaps even only every few years.
The structure of these large-scale events – however important and informative they are – has something
planned and rigid about it, and it is up to the visitors to bring some life to what happens.
But in the case with Ed and Ine Knops it is different! Of course, it wouldn't work in Sevenum either
without any planning, and I certainly do not envy the Knops family all the preparations and the clearing up afterwards. However, the individual components of the festival are such that visitors are not only
recipients, but if they wish, they can also be active participants.
And there is something going on wherever you look! An entertainer dressed as a butler was walking
around making jokes with young and old, a band was playing in the background, there was mouth watering food from the wok, and work or demonstrations were going in most booths; or to recover from their
exertions, visitors could take advantage of the deck chairs and simply chill out. All in all, there was a very
lively but relaxed atmosphere.
It was also possible to take part in the activities at the various booths, and many people, children or
adults, may come into direct contact with clay for the first time like this. It is a festival and not a conference, and there is a lot of emphasis on the entertainment factor, but it is an effective way of filling people
with enthusiasm for ceramics and introducing them to some of the many ways of working with clay.
Of course all of this has a commercial background, but it is truly remarkable how a major event with
guests from many different countries has developed from a private initiative.
As people say when medals are being awarded: Ed and Ine Knops have rendered outstanding services
to ceramics! And I very much regret not having attended the festival years ago, but I certainly won't be
missing any in the future. And I would also like to pass this on as a recommendation to readers of NEW
CERAMICS.
The year has already been rich in events, exhibitions, trade shows, competitions and awards, and it is
likely to continue that way. In this issue, we have once again tried to capture some of these occurrences to
present them to you. There were so many things going on that we have had to reduce the size of the Profiles section, and we have postponed two artists' profiles – totalling eight pages – to the next issue. Some
things have only been able to find space in the NEWS section.
In July and the later part of the summer, further interesting event are to follow, where we will be in
attendance, whether it is at major markets, perhaps in conjunction with ceramics fairs such as Oldenburg
or Karlsruhe, or conferences such as Aberystwyth, which is actually a mixture of festival and conference.
If you have not yet made up your mind about your summer holiday and you would like to do so on the
spur of the moment, Aberystwyth on the coast of Wales is a lovely small town and Wales is delightful too
– quite apart from the fascinating Festival that takes place there every two years in early July.
You can find further details about Aberystwyth in the ad on page 70.
Finally, one further suggestion: one of the best-known woodfire ceramists in the world, Peter Callas
from the USA, will be in Europe in September. At the invitation of NEW CERAMICS he will be giving a
talk about his work, his former cooperation with Peter Voulkos and firing in an anagama at the Keramikmuseum Westerwald in Höhr-Grenzhausen in the morning of 18 September. Everyone is welcome,
admission is free of course.
I wish you an eventful, interesting but relaxing summer
and will be back again in September.
Yours,
Bernd Pfannkuche
With Yna van der Meulen and
Mels Boom at their stand
at the Rakuvaria Festival
in Sevenum, the Netherlands
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
3
EDITOR'S NOTES
DIE NEWS
INFORMATION / EXHIBITIONS / PRIZES
ARNOLDSCHE ART PUBLISHER THE NEXT GENERATION
Dirk Allgaier is taking over the reins of the Stuttgart-based artbook publishers and is starting out in
new premises. For over ten years, Dirk Allgaier has
been one of the leading lights at the international publishing house with headquarters in the south of Stuttgart. On 1 April 2015, he has now become proprietor
of Arnold Art Publishers. Founder Dieter Zühlsdorff is
retiring. One of the new head's main objectives is to
continue expanding company's international activities.
Dirk Allgaier photo: Miriam Künzli for Art Aurea
On Feet of Clay –
Ceramic Figurines
Humans have always been fascinated
by creating their own image in clay. In
ceramic art in the 20th century, artists’
study of this subject area had been
particularly wide ranging. Along side
Christian interpretations such as the
mother of god, there are mythological representations as well as genre
scenes and portraits. The exhibition
with pieces from the museum's own
holdings shows individual figures, couples or groups in various styles and ceramic techniques. The exhibition runs
until 30 August 2015.
Stiftung KERAMION - Zentrum für Gerda Smolik, The Blue Hare Behind Me, 2005,
porcelain, h 24 cm
moderne+historische Keramik, Bonn- Limoges
photo: Ferdinand Neumüller
straße 12, 50226 Frechen, Germany.
Tel. +49 (0)2234 - 69 76 9-0, info@keramion.de I www.keramion.de
Pottbäckermarkt –
Niederrhein Keramikpreis for
Frank Schillo from Köln
The Lower Rhine Ceramics Prize worth EUR
1,000 at the 24th Krefeld Pottbäckermarkt
was sponsored by the Volksbank Krefeld
for the first time. Mayor Karin Meincke presented the prize to freelance ceramist Frank
Schillo from Cologne. Schillo impressed the
expert judges with his wide range, covering
classic sculptures, functional wares and gift
articles. Besides the Keramikpreis, he also received the “Ceramics Oscar”, a blue
vase with rings to denote the number of Pottbäcker markets there have been in
Krefeld. The 24th Krefeld Pottbäckermarkt with close to 100 German and international exhibitors was once again well attended from start to finish. The exhibits
included contemporary ceramic design, craft pottery, white porcelain and traditional wares. www.krefeld.de/pottbaeckermarkt
Global Guests in Central Europe
The Heidelberg-based Marianne Heller Gallery is presenting an exhibition of international ceramics of truly
global scope from 28 June – 26 July. From its own
holdings, vessels and sculptures from the UK, South
America, Australia and Japan will be on show, works
by world stars of ceramic art such as Sandy Brown,
Ken Eastman, Colin Pearson, Gustavo Perez and living national treasure Isezaki Jun. At the opening
ceremony on 28 June, the outstanding Austrian ceramist Thomas Bohle presented a book on his work
published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart – as
well as a small, exquisite exhibition of his spectacular,
delicately glazed double-walled vessels (photo below).
And for the closing of the exhibition on 26 July, the
internationally renowned American ceramist Marc
Leuthold, professor at New York State University, will
present his work, which ranges between abstract and
figural sculpture, in a lecture and with some examples at Galerie Heller. From 9 August – 20 September,
Marianne Heller's now traditional 25-year cooperation
with Czech ceramic artists will be continued with a
further exhibition in the series Between Prague and
Budweis with new work by: Miroslav Oliva, Elzbieta
Grosseová, Jiri Laštovicka, Tomáš Proll, Eva Slavíková.
IKKG –
Students from the Institute of Ceramics and
Glass Arts (IKKG), Höhr-Grenzhausen are presenting
two exhibitions: 1. From 3 June – 5 June 2015 the annual “Academic Tour”takes place at the Ceratec-Center,
Rheinstraße 60a in Höhr-Grenzhausen with works from
the departments of fine art, glass and ceramics.
Opening: Friday, 3 July 2015, 5 p.m.
Sat. – Sun. 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
2. - 3 Galleries 7 Positions - Exhibition of graduates'
work at the Institut für Künstlerische Keramik und Glas,
Hochschule Koblenz. 1 - Galerie Handwerk, Rizzastraße
24-26, 56068 Koblenz. Opens: 11 July 2015, 2 p.m.
with Walerija Peter, Claudia Thumm, Yuhuan Zhang.
2 - 3.30 p.m., Galerie Barbara Gröbl, Casinostraße 37,
56068 Koblenz with Miki Lin and at 6 p.m. Kasino, Kasinostrasse 7, 56203 Höhr-Grenzhausen with Randolph
Capelle, Clara Clauter, Verena Schatz. 11 – 19 July 2015
Sun. – Sun. noon – 5 p.m., closed on Mondays.
White Gold in Cologne
The Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst (Museum of Far Eastern Art) in Cologne is exhibiting its treasures of Chinese porcelain and celadon until
2 August under the title of White Gold. The majority of the exhibits was purchased in the field by the founder of the museum, Adolf Fischer in
the early 20th century. In the exhibition, his collection is complemented by permanent loans from the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation and
other mainly private foundations. The period covered by the exhibits – some very large scale – lies between 1400 and 1900. A highlight of the
exhibition is the Chinese architectural ceramics never previously exhibited, which the museum founder collected in Northern China between
1900 and 1910 and which stem mainly from imperial palaces that were destroyed during the Opium War. A chapter of the accompanying
catalogue (ISBN 978-3-86835-748-1, price: 29.90 €) is devoted to them.
-so
www.museenkoeln.de
4
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
EXHIBITIONS / EVENTS / PRIZES / OBITUARY
DIE NEWS
Obituary for Lothar Scholz
On 3 April of this year, Lothar Scholz died a few weeks before his eightieth birthday. He was a notably creative, knowledgeable and hard-working tile-artist, who worked in his profession, which he saw as a vocation,
until the last. Only recently, in the penultimate issue 2/2015, NEW CERAMICS published an appreciation of
his life's work. In the 5/2013 issue, his own voice could be heard in his presentation of the tile museum, the
Erste Deutsche Fliesenmuseum BOIZENBURG e.V., where he rendered outstanding services in founding it. The
ceramic tile as a field of creative activity accompanied him from his apprenticeship in the 1950s into his old
age. After graduating from the University of Fine art in Berlin Weißensee, he executed several hundred public
commissions for architectural ceramics and mosaics both on the outside and interior walls of various buildings.
This is still a unique achievement in Germany. He generally worked to his own designs, with the mastery of
craft technique being his goal. Last year, the Friends of the Keramikmuseum Berlin visited the Tile Museum in
Boizenburg. On this occasion, Lothar Scholz was able to make the acquaintance of Gustav Weiß, the founder
of this magazine, and greeted him cordially in his home surroundings. It is regrettably the case that a part of
Lothar Scholz's wealth of personal experience in engobe and glaze painting will not be passed on for posterity.
I will always remember this modest artist and painter with the greatest respect and esteem. Klaus Dittrich
City’s pride in two of its artists
ERLANGEN - Monika Jeannette Schödel-Müller and partner
Werner Bernhard Nowka receive municipal arts prize.
The city council of Erlangen recently followed the suggestion of its cultural affair committee in its decision. Cultural affairs officer, Dr Rossmeissl explained, “This artist couple (photo left) has lived in Erlangen since 1979. Their work is to be found worldwide in
leading museums, where it is held in high esteem. The Arts Prize honours these artists
and also expresses the city's pride that they have their home here.” This award is for
the field of fine art and is worth EUR 10,000. It was presented at an accompanying
exhibition before 250 invited guests at the Erlangen Kunstmuseum.
www.fine-art-ceramics.de
59th Faenza Prize
– Prizes awarded at the MIC in Faenza!!! Opening ceremony and prize-giving on 26 June 2016. The judges decisions were unanimous at the MIC, the International Ceramics Museum in Faenza in early May for the 2015 59th Faenza Prize. Awards and
prizes went to the following artists: the Fondazione del Monte e Cassa di Risparmio di Faenza Prize worth EUR 15,000 for artists over 40
years of age went to Silvia Celeste Calcagno for her piece Interno 8 - La fleur coupée. The Faenza Prize for under 40-year-old,s worth EUR
10,000, was shared between Helene Kirchmair (Austria) for her piece Bobbles and Thomas Stollar (USA) for 1900 Steps #2. The Cersaie Prize,
sponsored by EdiCer S.p.A., also worth EUR 10,000, went to Nicholas Lees from the UK for his piece Four Leaning Vessels. The EUR 1,000
Monica Biserni Prize for a young artist was awarded to Simon Zsolt József (HU) for Spherical Atlas.
The Eleuterio Ignazi Memorial Prize to the value of EUR 500 went to Marie-Laure Gobat-Bouchat
(CH) for Ecorces Vives. The two German artists, Monika J. Schoedel-Mueller & Werner B. Nowka,
received the Faenza Rotary Club Prize of EUR 500 for Blossoms and Leaves. Omur Tokgoz from
Turkey received the EUR 500 Prize of the Faenza Lions Club for Relativity 2. The Prize of Honour of
the President of the Senate of the Republic went to Yves Malfliet from Belgium for his outstanding
piece, Somewhere … Over the Mountain. Further Prizes of Honour went to Kathy Ruttenberg,
USA for the work Lost at Sea, Ann Van Hoey, BE for The Earthenware Ferrari, Chiara Lecca for the
Triptych of true fake marble and Giulio Mannino (IT) for Sol 6272 Hz. The youngest participant in
the competition, Irina Razumovskaya from Russia, also received a prize for her work. The coveted
Gold Medal of MIC 2015 was awarded to Erna Aaltonen from Finland. The judges (photo right)
with Daniela Lotta, IT, Monika Gass, DE, Grant Gibson, UK, and Claudia Casali, IT, had a tough
time even in the first phase of the judging because of the large number of 1300 entries. 618 people from 57 countries had entered. For the second round of judging, it was good to have time and
to discuss questions like the evaluation criteria. Everyone interested in ceramics should see the exhibition in Faenza. Opening: 26 June 2015 6.30 p.m. Information and accompanying programme
www.micfaenza.org. The exhibition runs until 19 January 2016.
The 15th Diessen Keramikpreis -
For the 15th time, the themed ceramics prize was awarded as a part of the Diessen Töpfermarkt. As in previous years, it was sponsored to the tune of EUR 3,000 by kiln builder Rohde Brennöfen from Prutting near Rosenheim in
Bavaria. This year's theme was Culinary Delights; it picks up the theme of the first Diessen Ceramics Prize from 15 years ago, which was Handcrafted Tableware, consolidating the tradition that the market in Diessen is primarily about tableware, which has been cautiously extended
to include art ceramics. This year's prizewinners are the young Korean artist Kiho Kang from Höhr-Grenzhausen and the doyen of Bavarian/
Swabian earthenware, Toni Maurer from Kempten in Allgäu. The two prizewinners could not
be more different, as the director of the market, Wolfgang Lösche, emphasised at the award
ceremony. Excellent or even outstanding standards of craftsmanship can be found in both
winners’ work, however. The prize for the best stand sponsored by pottery supplier Andrea
Wolbring went to Steffen Jacobs from Wegscheid. –so www.diessener-toepfermarkt.de
photo l. to r.: Georgos Kavgalakis, Steffen Jacobs, Toni Maurer, Kiho Kang, sponsor Benjamin Rohde,
Mayor Herbert Kirsch, Irini Kavgalakis, Andrea Wolbring, Nikos Kavgalakis and market director Wolfgang Lösche
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
5
DIE NEWS
INFO / EXHIBITIONS / PRIZES
EVENTS / EXHIBITIONS / PRIZES
K.i.Ste - Ceramics in the Quarry 2015
2,000 visitors for ceramic art in Oberpullendorf
In the picturesque stone quarry, the Oberpullendorf arts association organised
the 16th K.i.Ste – Keramik im Steinbruch (Ceramics in the Quarry). This is an
exhibition of domestic and international artists unique in its kind in Austria.
From 24 – 26 April, K.i.Ste. showed contemporary ceramic art in the former
The organisers and exhibitors © photo - Stephanie Schorch
basalt quarry, which is only open to the public for the three days of the ceramics exhibition. 33 artists from seven countries (Kazakhstan, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland and Austria) presented
their works in glorious sunshine, attracting 2,000 visitors to this impressive natural setting.
Fired Colour – with Ute Brade - Helmut Massenkeil - Johannes Nagel - Jean-Francois Thiérion - Masamichi Yoshikawa
The fascination of ceramic colours lies in their very nature. They are colours present in nature and they develop their full brilliance in fired clay
or glass. They are already there but it is up to the artist to recognise and extract them, rearrange and recompose them and express their power
and life through the firing. The colour can grow from the form and confirm it, but it may also reflect and comment on it. From 14 June – 5
July, Galerie Metzger is showing five different positions in which form and colour enter into an exciting duet, or perhaps a duel.
Nele van Wieringen GALERIE METZGER, Angelika Metzger, Hauptstraße 18, D-63867 Johannesberg, Germany. Tel. +49 (0)6021/460224
www.galerie-metzger.de
EXOTIC - TEMPTING - GLAMOUROUS
The worldwide brand Goldscheider Exhibition from 18
June – 11 October 2015. Sensuous, vulnerable, self-confident – women in the brilliant wealth of their characters are
the subject of the sculptures from the Viennese factory of
Friedrich Goldscheider. Between 1885 and 1938, the company put over 10,000 different pieces on the market – usually in ceramic but also in metal and cast stone. They met
the taste of a wide audience, combining a sense of longing,
lightness, elegance and glamour, leading people into the
borderline area between art and kitsch, the twilight world of
dance, theatre, film and fashionable society. With its branches in Leipzig, Paris and Florence, the company was present
at major exhibitions and trade fairs. Innovative techniques,
variations in the materials, size and brushwork, but above
all a sixth sense for the zeitgeist guaranteed Goldscheider's
products worldwide popularity and sales. GRASSI Museum
für Angewandte Kunst, Johannisplatz 5-11, 04103 Leipzig,
Germany. Tel.: +49 (0) 341/ 222 9100,
grassimuseum@leipzig.de I www.grassimuseum.de
International Ceramics Festival 2015 Aberystwyth -
Filipino Professor to build unique ‘birthing kiln’ at International Ceramics Festival and
host a baby-making workshop! Professor Rita Gudiño, from the University of the
Philippines’ College of Fine Arts (UP CFA), headlines this year’s
much-anticipated International Ceramics Festival with her
LUAL (birth) kiln building session and Sibol (clay) baby making
workshop. Participants in her exclusive workshop will be able
to make clay babies in a one day workshop at Aberystwyth on
23rd June 2015 to be fired in the LUAL kiln during a dramatic
performance firing event at the festival. The LUAL, which is a
raku kiln in the form of a birthing woman, Earth Mother and
Birth Goddess will give birth to the clay figures fired within in
Prof Gudiño’s art, which, she says, represents a metaphor of
birthing. FRI 3 – SUN 5 JULY 2015 - Aberystwyth Arts Centre,
Mid Wales, UK www.internationalceramicsfestival.org
6
Keramikpanorama Murten
The
(Switzerland) enters its third round.
After thorough deliberation and intense discussion,
the committee has reached the decision to once
again put on an international ceramics panorama
covering all areas and trends in 2016. The juried exhibition will take place in Murten right by the lake.
The organisation will be further simplified, taking
advantage of past experience. As usual, entries can
be submitted from December 2015 until the end of
March 2016. The call for entries will be published in
good time on www.keramikpanorama.ch. We will
once again be grateful for any ceramists willing to
help. Simply drop us a line at:
info@keramikpanorama.ch
Invitation to the exhibition
“One more cup....”
Cups, mugs, bowls - vessels which can be used for
taking in liquids – will be the focus of our summer
exhibition 2016. We hereby invite national and international Arts & Crafts professionals and designers to
show their drinking containers, one-offs as well as
small series, We are looking forward to work made
of various materials such as china, ceramics, wood,
glass, metal or plastics; we also expect all sorts of
forms: small or large, with or without handle, with
saucer or without, for cold or for hot drinks. We are
particularly interested in pieces of work which show
contemporary, innovative or unusual design. (Applications from the area of Fine Art will not be admitted!) Closing date for entries: 31 January 2016.
Entries sent in digital form including application,
statements and photos will be treated preferentially.
All further details can be found in the conditions of
entry. Please make use of the prepared answer form
available on www.hwk-hannover.de/onemorecup
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
COMPETITIONS / EVENTS
International understanding
at the potter’s wheel -
Thomas Benirschke und Rasani Abdl
Jalil have furthered their cooperation,
in Tamesloth near Marrakesh, where
Benirschke has been given further instruction in the coil and throw method. Jalil’s assistant wedges the clay
with his feet, prepares the lumps of
clay for throwing and drives the wheel
with his feet. He and the master are
an experienced team, having worked
together for 38 years. We are looking
forward to Thomas Benirschke’s latest
report.
DIE NEWS
Silent Strength and Power Drink
– The classic teabowl and creative variations
– theme of the Museumsfest and the Keramikmarkt and of the annual competition exhibition
at the Keramikmuseum Westerwald! The subject
of tea and teabowls appealed to numerous ceramists: 100 participants for the exhibition with 3
joint pieces and a total of 231 individual exhibits
from 17 countries speak for themselves. The six l. to r. Major Michael Thiesen, Susanne Altzweig, Bernd
Kathrin Najorka, Armin Rieger, Director of the
prizes awarded by a panel of expert judges were Pfannkuche,
museum Monika Gass, Robert Lawarre (USA)
presented during the opening ceremony on 6
June 2015. The NEW CERAMICS Prize worth Euro 500 went to Katrin Najorka from Krauschwitz
for a set of woodfired teabowls. The prize of the Kreissparkasse Westerwald, also worth Euro 500,
went to Kiho Kang for a set of porcelain bowls and a teapot. The prize of materials worth Euro
250 sponsored by Georg & Schneider went to Petra Bittl from Bonn. The Helga Tritschler Altstadt
Galerie Prize (Weinheim) was won by Claudia Schoemig from Berlin for three delicate, pure white,
elegant teabowls. Once again for 2015, the municipal authorities of Höhr-Grenzhausen awarded a
prize worth Euro 250, won by local ceramist Susanne Altzweig for a tea set in an inspiring spring
green. And the SIBELCO Deutschland Prize worth Euro 500 was awarded to Keramikstudio Hasenberg from Siegburg. Their entry consisted of three richly decorated teabowls with a tray showing
a sketch of the finished bowls. Guests from Korea, Chang-Hyun Jeon, Suk-Kyung Kim and HaRam Oh, who exhibited in a special presentation, also demonstrated a Korean style tea ceremony,
introducing a special extra element to the event. The lecture by Prof. Voo from the University of
Mungyeong was inspiring and well attended on both days. In addition, Sangwoo Kim, Korea and
Switzerland, demonstrated the classic onggi coiling technique before an impressive number of
visitors. The closing event with a tea ceremony is on 5 July 2015. The partner museum, Tienschuur
Tegelen, NL, will be displaying a part of the exhibition from 15 January – 22 May 2016.
kontakt@keramikmuseum.de I www.keramikmuseum.de
Celebrating ceramics in the city – British Ceramics
Call for applications The
XXIVème Biennale
Internationale de Vallauris – Création con-
Biennial returns to Stoke-on-Trent – 26 Sept. – 8 Nov. 2015
• Featuring 20 exhibitions and over 60 national and international ceramic artists • Survey shows AWARD and FRESH acknowledging innovation and identifying emerging talent • Powerful WW1 memorial incorporating thousands of
white bone china flowers, to commemorate men of the North Staffordshire
Regiment who fell in 1914-18 • New installation by leading multi-disciplinary
artist, Bruce McLean • Chance to purchase exhibition pieces, one-off and
editioned work. This autumn the UK’s largest ceramics festival, the British
Ceramics Biennial (BCB), will return to Stoke-on-Trent for six weeks from 26
September to 8 November 2015. At the heart of this international cultural
event stands the historic former Spode pottery factory, which will once again
form the creative hub for the festival. For the first time the building’s imposing
China Hall will be home to the Biennial’s centrepiece exhibition AWARD. Following selection by a panel of judges chaired by Alun Graves, Senior Curator
at the V&A, the 11 artists shortlisted for its £5,000 prize will each present new
works exemplifying the energy and vitality of British contemporary ceramics.
Joining Award in the China Hall will be another festival highlight FRESH showcasing the most promising talent from the UK’s recent graduates working
across ceramics disciplines. www.britishceramicsbiennial.com
temporaine et céramique will take place from July to November 2016. The Biennale is constructed in the form of
scheduled exhibitions, including a competition and a group
of exhibitions, thematic or monographic, which are not on a
competitive basis, in order to highlight the richness and diversity of current creativity in ceramics at an international level.
The competition is reserved for candidates who are nationals
of a member country of the EU. After a selection made by
a jury, it gives rise to an exhibition at the Musée Magnelli,
Musée de la céramique, to a publication in the catalogue of
the Biennale and to the award of prizes: «Grand Prix de la
Ville de Vallauris» to a value of EUR 15,000 covering all categories / Three «prix Ville de Vallauris Golfe-Juan» to a value
of EUR 5,000, or one per category / Prix “Jeune créateur
(moins de 35 ans) [“Young artist”]”, to a value of EUR 3,000.
Deadline: 15 September 2015. Application form:
www.vallauris-golfe-juan.fr/-Biennale-Internationale-de-.html
Tel. + 33 (0) 4 93 64 71 87 I biennale@vallauris.fr
Association of German Ceramics Towns -
At the invitation of the mayors of Höhr-Grenzhausen, Thilo Becker and
Michael Thiesen, on 6 June 2015, mayors and representatives of the ceramics towns Landshut, Siegburg, Brühl, Selb, Karlsruhe, Römhild, Kellinghusen, Ransbach-Baumbach, Neumünster, Rheinsberg, Brachtal and Mettlach met in Höhr-Grenzhausen (see photo below) for their first
meeting to discuss the founding of an association of German ceramics towns. Giuseppe Olmeti, project supervisor of the European association
of ceramics cities, which includes the organisations in Italy, Spain, France and Romania, explained the idea behind the European organisation in
a talk, providing a sketch of the structure of the various national associations and also presented the achievements and plans of the European
organisation in cooperation with the European Union in Brussels. Prof. Peter Quirmbach, chair of the BFZK, explained the concept behind the
BFZK, which includes colleges, institutes and the Ceramics Museum in Höhr-Grenzhausen. In the subsequent discussion, all of the mayors present agreed with the principle of setting up a German association. It was decided
that statutes for the association should be drawn up in Höhr-Grenzhausen and
in consultation with the various municipalities, which in a follow-up meeting is to
be further discussed and agreed upon. This means it is possible that from 2016,
an association of German ceramics cities will be able to represent the interests of
art and craft ceramics together with and in discussion with the other European
associations. It is to be hoped that before then, other ceramics cities will signal
their interest.
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7
PROFILE
Birgitte and Hans Börjeson
Jorunn Veiteberg
T
he pottery that comes from Birgitte and Hans Börjesons workshop is stamped ´Fulby´ the name of the
Zealand village where they have lived and worked
since 1963. The name is a signal that there is no
point asking which of them does what, or asking for a pot made
by either one individually. They work closely together, whether
they are developing ideas, finding solutions to technical and
artistic problems or realizing a particular piece, although as a
rule Hans deals with the most physically demanding throwing
jobs and Birgitte with the decoration. Working together like this
and calling the pottery after the place where it is produced is a
8
The Art of Salting
practice with deep roots in the history of the craft. Ever since
they met in one of England's richest pottery regions in Cornwall, where they both worked at Crowan Pottery with Harry
and May Davis, they have been able to develop the best of this
tradition even further.
Many people mainly associate Fulby pottery with salt-glazed
stoneware. Although they also make dishes and bowls in porcelain with celadon glazes, it is in salt-glazing that they have
made their mark most strongly and won most recognition, for
example taking prizes at the First World Ceramic Biennale in
Korea in 2001 and at Salzbrand in Koblenz in 2002. Salt-glazed
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
BIRGITTE AND HANS BÖRJESONS
Salt-glazed pottery is easily
recognized by its knobby surface,
similar to the texture of orange
peel. The technique was used in
Höganäs, Sweden and in Germany
from the fifteenth century on
and is perhaps Germany's most
important contribution to
ceramic art.
pottery is easily recognized by its knobby
surface, similar to the texture of orange peel.
The technique was used in Höganäs, Sweden
and in Germany from the fifteenth century
on and is perhaps Germany's most important
contribution to ceramic art. It quickly became
popular in the production of utility ware, since
salt-glazing is a relatively inexpensive way of
getting a durable surface. When salt is thrown
opposite Extruded jugs with mat and glossy slips
h 30 cm
top
Pâté forms thrown and altered
right
Thrown and altered jugs, h 40 cm
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9
PROFILE
PROFILE
left
Bowl, thrown and altered with
sgraffito decoration, h 43 cm
Ø 60 cm
below
Tiles with sgraffito decoration
13 x 13 cm
opposite Form, h 26 cm, Ø 40cm
into a hot kiln, it reacts chemically with
the quartz in the clay during the evaporation process, thus forming a glaze.
Variations in colour and texture can be
achieved by using clays with different
compositions. You can also use slips, as
Hans and Birgitte often do, to produce additional variations in colour.
They built their first salt-firing kiln
at the beginning of the eighties, and the
special colours and textures that the salt
technique offers have continued to fasci-
10
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
BIRGITTE AND HANS BÖRJESONS
nate them ever since. As in cooking, it is important to add just
the right dose, although what one sees as the right amount is
also a matter of personal taste. The culinary parallel is more
relevant than one might think: just as salt is necessary to the
glaze, salt-glazed stoneware is ideal for cooking. The Fulby assortment is particularly rich in casseroles, jugs, cups and pâté
forms in various sizes. They are not only functional vessels
for the food and liquids they contain; they are also a sensory
stimulus to both eye and hand. In short, they help to give daily
rituals an aesthetic boost.
The Fulby jugs are particularly worth noting. They have
been part of the assortment right from the start. The oldest ones
are clearly related to the rustic brown jugs of the French country kitchen. But over the years their functionality has receded
ever more into the background in favour of a more expressive
style. In parallel with this there has been a simplification where
each of the parts that define a jug – spout, body and handle, as
well as inside and outside – has been more clearly accentuated
by contrasts in colour and form. Todays jugs look like personalities. Some seem puffed up and arrogant, strutting with their
spouts in the air; others look more aggressive, or round and jovial. There is a long tradition of interpreting pots as metaphors
for different human types. Our very language reveals this; when
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PROFILE
you describe a pot or jug you use words like neck, shoulder and
body. So it is not so strange that we easily associate the shapes
of the pots with human emotions and characteristics.
The Börjeson's dishes and large bowls should be mentioned
too. The dishes are square and their size indicates that they are
decorative rather than purely functional. The geometrical patterns stem from many sources – perhaps a detail from a floor
or wall seen on one of their many journeys, and presented in
a new context. In principle, a pattern on a flat surface has no
clear beginning or end. The gaze can stray freely over it, but
shifting the focus moves the centres of gravity and a visual
dynamic arises. This way of creating patterns differs from the
decoration on a series of large bowls with figures that can almost be read as a comic strip. These are dramatic stories. Peaceful bird people are attacked by aggressive predators. Around
them are texts and signs referring to different historical epochs,
religions and civilizations. Together they tell a tale of the human folly of war and violence. The struggle between good and
evil is portrayed as an eternal process, from the beginning of
time to the present.
Hans has said that in their works they “try to preserve the
structure of the clay and convey the genesis of the pot as it
developed in the wet clay”. You can see this in the finished jugs
11
PROFILE
and dishes as traces of the circular throwing movements and
in the visibility of the joints and construction. And most of all,
the character of the material is evident from the thin, uneven
edges of the large bowls. The salt-glaze emphasizes the process
and accentuates the form. It does not work as a camouflaging
layer, but rather as the skin of the pot transformed into a glaze.
Hans and Birgitte's practice as potters spans a multitude of
idioms. In addition to those already mentioned, they have been
responsible for public decorations, benches, tiles, pavings and,
not least, columns. Six columns more than two and a half metres tall were shown in an exhibition in Designmuseum Denmark in Copenhagen. They are built up with salt-glazed modules differing in colour and form, one supporting another, edge
to edge without any use of mortar. The columns are decoration
for an old peoples' home in Vlissingen in Holland, where they
support a glass roof. The commission is the result of their many
left
A glimpse of their showroom
opposite
Celadon bowl, h 18 cm, ø 50cm
12
years of participation in the ceramic fair Keramisto in Milsbeek,
Holland.
They are often to be found at ceramic fairs and art and craft
fairs around Europe, and more than thirty years ago they took
the initiative for the fair that has become an annual tradition at
Vor Frue Plads in Copenhagen. These fairs provide an opportunity for close encounters with both colleagues and buyers, but
they are also a presentation venue that many people feel lies
outside the framework of cultural institutions. As with all artistic disciplines, there is a hierarchy in the ceramics world too.
Different techniques and idioms enjoy different statuses, and if
you want to carve out a career as an artist there are a number
of rules for what you should or shouldn't do.
In Ceramic Review, the master of functional ceramics and
salt-glaze, Walter Keeler, claims that the world of ceramics
seems to be divided into two camps: one for potters and one for
artists. This tiresome distinction has helped to establish oppositions between making ceramics for everyday use and creating
ceramic objects with no practical function. But as Keeler so
rightly points out, the everyday utility article can reflect all
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BIRGITTE AND HANS BÖRJESONS
PROFILE
Photos – Ole Haupt – www.olehaupt.dk
aspects of life, including art. Similarly, it
is a modernist myth that artistic renewal
must mean a break with the traditions
of the past.
The Börjeson's pottery is an example
of this. The dialogue with the profession's own traditions and the new currents of the age is an important platform
for them. Yet the most important message that flows out of the workshop in
Fulby is that drawing a boundary between pottery and art is uninteresting.
Seeing a jug on a market stall can give
you as great an artistic experience as
seeing a column in the museum. The significance of things in our lives depends
neither on their size nor on their status;
it is related to the stories they carry with
them – and the new stories we give them
through our interpretation and use.
Birgitte was born in Copenhagen in 1939. Hans in Sweden in 1932
We started our workshop in Fulby, Denmark in 1963 after 4 years in craft schools in Copenhagen and Gothenburg and after working 2 years together at Harry and May Davis' Crowan
Pottery in Cornwall.
In our first 20 years we mostly made domestic wares with tenmoku and celadon rock glazes.
In the 80s we built our first gas fired kiln for saltglazing – to work with saltglazing was just
the right thing for us, we felt it gave us a more direct way of working with clay. Lots of firings full of experiments with slips and clays and ways of adding the salt into the kiln – now
we have ended up with blowing 12 kilos of salt into the hottest zones – with a sandblasting
pistol. It works very well.
We found out that saltglaze is very resistant to the Nordic climate. So we got several outdoor
commissions from architects and builders, columns, benches, reliefs and water fountains. At
the same time we exhibited in galleries all over Europe – and got represented in museums in
Copenhagen, Stockholm, Korea, China and Taiwan. We also did ceramic demonstrations in
Ireland, Greece, France, England, Germany, South Africa and Aberystwyth. And through the
years we have attended many ceramic fairs. Among them Gmunden in Austria, Rufford and
Potfest in England, Cordes sur Ciel in France, St. Sulpice in Paris and Keramisto in Holland. It
is a good opportunity for dialogue with both customers and colleagues and it is great fun. In
2001 we got a prize from The World Ceramic Biennale in Korea and in 2002 we got the first
prize in The international Saltglaze Competition in Koblenz.
We are members in IAC – the International Academy of Ceramics. Right from the very start
50 years ago we were convinced that we could make our living from potting and we have
succeeded, so far.
Jorunn Veiteberg has a PhD in art history
from the University of Bergen, Norway.
She is currently working as a freelance
writer and guest professor at the School of
Design and Crafts at Gothenburg University,
Sweden.
HANS & BIRGITTE BÖRJESON
Fulby Gl. Skole
Dansbrovej 2
DK-4180 Sorø, Denmark
Tel. + 45 57 84 42 43
hb@fulby.com I www.fulby.com
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Exhibition of work by Hans and
Birgitte Börjeson at the Keramikmuseum
Westerwald, Höhr-Grenzhausen, opens on
Sunday, 9 August at 11.30 a.m.
Exhibition until 20 September 2015
13
PROFILE
VELIMIR VUKICEVIC
Master of Illusionism
Blaženka Šoic Štebih
14
T
he great artist and educator is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics
in Geneva, a member of various associations and donor to the KERAMEIKON collection of contemporary ceramics from all over the world. His work captures people's imaginations around the world and has repeatedly won awards – many pieces
are in museums and collections, in Japan, Taiwan, Italy, the Czech Republic and Croatia.
His approach to his art and the technique he uses distinguish him as an absolutely unique
figure in the art world. What we can experience here, in his own words, is “an illusionistic
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VELIMIR VUKICEVIC
PROFILE
opposite “Beautiful Garbage 2“, 33 x 30 cm
h 26 cm, slipcast porcelain painted
with engobes, Japanese transfer
paper and overglaze
right
“Egg”, h 29 cm, 18 x 18cm
slipcast porcelain painted with
engobes and Japanese transfer
paper fired at 1250°C, OX
Shadows are painted with black
overglaze with airbrush and refired
at 750°C
drawing on porcelain forms" or the “combination of porcelain form and ceramic painting to create a unique, new visual unit".
The term illusionism as a specific skill
in the arts can better be understood if the
Latin word illusio on which it is based is
explained; it means deception, apparition,
delusion, dream … Through the method of
linear or geometric perspective and construction, the impression, or rather the illusion of depth and space is created. This
also happens with the assistance of vertical
and horizontal lines that seem to converge
at one point, and through the reduction in
the dimensions of the object are in a proportional relationship to the distance from the
foreground.
The ancient Greeks and later the Romans
used this technique, and in the 14th century,
Giotto did so too Masaccio, who in the Renaissance painted his Holy Trinity in Florence, is considered to be the founder of the
use of geometrical perspective, on which a
new form of painting was based. Baroque
illusionism is also well known, but elements
of illusionistic painting survived into the
Impressionist era.
According to Radovan Ivancevic, the
well-known Croatian art historian, this way
of presenting reality is people's attempt to
take things back into their own hands after
in the Middle Ages everything was considered to be strictly defined and immutable.
This new world view, the viewer's own
standpoint (both figuratively and literally)
seeks an emphasis on randomness and an
individual and arbitrary choice of the angle of view from this or that standpoint at
this or that moment. Geometric perspective
does not however offer an objective representation of reality, as is often rather facilely
stated. On the contrary: no other method of
representation could be more subjective.
As a schooled artist, Velimir Vukicevic is
aware of the laws of linear or geometrical
perspective and construction and it seems
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that his choice of this means of artistic expression is based precisely on them:
they afford him the greatest possible freedom and individuality. He skilfully and
deliberately organises his planes, leading us into the virtual spaces and depths
of his inner worlds. He is uninfluenced by the appearances of the outer world.
His source is his inner world.
“When I make my forms, I am actually seeking the surfaces that I will paint
on," he says in an interview. And these forms are cubes, cylinders, twisted,
15
PROFILE
stretched blocks, boxes, plates and
bowls, but also undefined forms,
which, in the interplay with the drawings or the superstructure that has
been applied, form the perfect entity
of a complete work of art.
The plates and bowls look like
boxes full of various balls of ribbons,
rolled up and pulled apart is various
ways, painted on or seemingly cut
in strips from newspaper. There are
also threads or elongated cylinders or
rods of varying profiles. The boxes,
with almost organic surfaces, are entwined with ribbons that seem to float
in space above the surface that they
are painted on, thus becoming space
themselves. We are impressed and enthralled by the astonishing precision
in the execution of the brushwork.
The geometrically structured, transparent illustrations on the porcelain
bowls, which are also geometrically
formed, are an ideal decor. The define a perfectly designed piece of outstanding aesthetic value, although it
may not be intended for use.
The works whose elements in the
form of wavy ribbons or rods that
simply pass over into another dimension, entering a virtual three-dimen-
“Tricky Plate”, ø 50 cm, mould pressed porcelain plate painted with engobes
Japanese transfer paper and overglaze
“Old News”, 50 x 50 cm, h 10 cm, slipcast bone china painted with Japanese transfer paper and overglaze
16
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VELIMIR VUKICEVIC
PROFILE
“Little Island of Security”, 49 x 49 cm
h 52 cm, slab-built and slipcast parts
stoneware clay and coloured bone china
Velimir Vukicevic was born in Belgrade,
Serbia, in 1950, where he graduated from
the ceramics department in the faculty of
applied art in 1976, later taking an M.A.
Freelance from 1974 – 1992, after he had
become professor of Ceramic Sculpture
at the University of Art in Belgrade. He
put on numerous solo exhibitions as well
as international group exhibitions. As a
judge, he assisted at the Triennale of Jugoslav Ceramics in Belgrade as well as at
CERAMICS MULTIPLEX 2012 in Varaždin,
Croatia. His work is in many museums
and collections in Japan, Taiwan, the
Czech Republic and Croatia. He has been
a member of the International Academy
of Ceramics (IAC) since 2001.
sional existence from their own genuine three-dimensionality with the aid of ingenious drawing, also exercise a strong fascination on viewer.
Although Velimir Vukicevic's palette is very varied, it never descends to banality
and repeatedly impresses with the effective way the artist paints with light and shades
of white. The play of light and shade is a calculated part of the illusion, conjuring up
for us a sense of floating and disembodied upward movement.
When observing and admiring the widely differing works by this artist, in some
places I permitted myself to experience another dimension and to sense the acoustic
illusion brought forth by the highly dynamic movement of all of the decorative elements. Sometimes a plane whirrs and bubbles with content, but it is never cacophonous.
As critic Hans Peter Jakobson has said, “Velimir Vukicevic consciously accepts the
concept of the decorative, so long disregarded in the 20th century, as a challenging,
autonomous function of fine art. He makes use of it with the confidence and naturalness with which earlier ages took art and decoration to form a unity.”
And finally I would like to allow the artist to speak, a man I have rightly called a
master of illusionism: “While I respect the tradition and culture of the past, I try to
think of the future as an adventure. I would like to believe that a dynamic development of civilisation and of ceramics as its inseparable constituent will not renounce
individuality, creativity, imagination, emotion or the sense of material. These qualities are of great importance to me and my work as a ceramist.
“The fantastic process of the materialization of an idea through its realisation has
always fascinated me and motivates me to remain curious and to continue working."
Blaženka Šoic Štebih is a ceramist, the president of KERAMEIKON and a member of IAC
info@kerameikon.com I www.kerameikon.com
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VELIMIR VUKICEVIC
Katiceva 2
11000 Belgrad
Serbia
vvukicevic@sbb.rs
www.velimirvukicevic.com
17
PROFILE
Tame piglets and holy cows –
The ceramics of the artist
JANET MACPHERSON
J
anet MacPherson has a small collection of plastic or
rubber toy animals: mice, rabbits, small pigs, horses and
many more.
Whilst she was working at the Zentrum für Keramik
in Berlin, she bought an elephant. It was of the same proportions
as the other creatures in her little herd, and after heading back to
Canada from Berlin, it will be the basis for a new mould. After a
plaster cast has been meticulously taken, the elephant will then
18
Anja Sommer
become part of her library of animals – readily anthropomorphised alter egos.
On the basis of her decision to make her plaster moulds
from commercially available figures, an abundance of choices
and combinations follows for MacPherson. Once made, every
choice – an elephant for example – is constantly reviewed and
questioned. By experimentation, parts of her animals appear in
new contexts and even lose their animal nature entirely. They
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JANET MACPHERSON
PROFILE
metamorphose into figures reminiscent of the protagonists in
animated movies, or tin toys, hybrids of humans and animals or
weeping madonnas in flowing robes.
MacPherson's dainty animal figures are at once unsettling
and fascinating. This effect is emphasised particularly by the
juxtaposition of the delicate material porcelain and the act of
cutting or tearing the cute little animals apart.
Through the precision of the cast, the texture and finest markings of the animals' fur is visible. Its three-dimensional quality
is enhanced because no glaze is used. It is only small details like
hands or feet that are covered with coloured glazed or lustres,
often in red.
The disconcerting beings created in this manner are reminiscent of the mythical wolpertinger, a creature of folktale and
fable from Bavaria – usually depicted as a cross between hare,
bird and deer. Some historic portrayals show the wolpertinger
as a chicken for mountain slopes, with one leg shorter than the
other so that it can only stand straight on a hillside. An awkward
creature badly designed by nature. It can only walk around the
mountain in one direction. Superstition holds that all one has to
do to catch this beast is to startle it so that it turns around, stands
on the wrong leg and loses its balance and tumbles down the
hillside so that it can easily be caught.
There is something tragic in MacPherson's figures: the pig
with matchstick legs that are far too thin for its body, teetering
along blindfolded. Will it tumble down the slope or will it encounter a helping hand? The heads of two sheep bound together:
two people inseparably joined under this cowl, involved in invisible deep strife, silently biting each others' faces? Not much can
be seen for sure and this produces a sense of discomfort.
A visit to a cattle fair in Ohio a few years ago – a parade of the
finest domestic animals – put this image of bandaged or hooded
animals in MacPherson's repertoire. It is in direct subjugation
that the unequal relationship between animals and humans is
defined. The bear muzzled by human hand loses its scariness and
strength, becoming a humanised bear.
The animal fur covered by hoods and blankets on the other
hand is not only about effective protection from dirt but it is
also about the unequal relationship between the judged on one
side and the judge on the other. As if the animal were standing
before a lifesize outline of the ideal form, defects are noted that
deviate from the standard, perhaps in the length of the nose or
the shape of the legs.
A cattle show communicates precise characteristics for what
is accepted as beauty, which develop over long periods by breeding, are strictly adhered to and noted down as instructions so
that comparisons are possible at any time. It is like looking for
animals in a catalogue.
MacPherson makes use of this standardization by taking commercial toy animals for her moulds. Here too, the decision has
been taken about what a sheep or a dog should look like. Even
if particular species can be found, their shape is exaggerated to
produce a sort of average form or appearance. The copy of an
animal is on a knife edge between recognizability and simplification.
opposite
“Procession Bridge”, detail, 2014, h 1.2 m x w 4 m x
d 30 cm, porcelain, gold lustre, wood, paint
right
“Guardian 2”, 2014, h 60 cm x w 20 cm x d 20 cm
porcelain and gold lustre
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19
PROFILE
Disregarding early depictions of exotic creatures in mediaeval
book illustrations, it soon becomes apparent that one and the
same species has received a range of different forms. With their
oral or written historical descriptions of the appearance animals,
observers focused on various features that seemed particular to
them personally – outlandish or inexplicable.
MacPherson has made a clear decision to accept certain norms
dictated by these plastic animals. What was standardised in the
original becomes unmistakable and special through her choices:
the pig's funny floppy ear, the strangely perfect curly wool of
the sheep – even the so awkwardly-perfect looking folds of the
Madonna's dress. She continues the story in her own words, only
leaving us with quotations of the originals, precisely as it happened to the exotic creatures.
Janet MacPherson's sheep in dog's clothing and rabbits with
duck's tales make reference to genetic manipulations in the laboratory. Some readers may remember the story in the media a few
years ago of a mouse with a human ear affixed to its back.
Ceramic artist Judith Runge from Halle in Germany has also
been working with a repertoire of moulds of fruit similar to Janet MacPherson's animals. Banapples and strawnanas emerge –
crosses and hybrids – crazy fruit that should be rejected. Which
is not normal and certainly not edible.
When we see the pig on stilt legs, we are torn between sympathy and doubt. Creatures that so obviously do not look right like
MacPherson's have difficulty in gaining our trust.
In her figures, humans are also placed in animal attire. She
answers the question as to why dolls do not appear in her work,
only body parts like hands or feet, saying they are too close to
the human form. Like in fables, in MacPherson's ceramics the
animals take over human actions like alter egos whose eccentricities and deformities are far easier to stand than if they were in
purely human form. The genetic manipulations referred to above
would be overwhelmingly horrible and didactic if they were assembled exclusively from humanoid forms.
Besides animals, religious figures and symbols stand out in
MacPherson's work: lambs, saints and madonnas. However,
these are more reminiscent of sentimental statuettes from religious souvenir shops. They too consist of montages from various
casts.
The cow standing on its back legs (Guardian), the winged figure of a saint wearing something on its head resembling a gas
top
“Of Human Hands” , 2014
H 10 cm x w 20 cm x d 9 cm, porcelain
left
“Stalker”, 2014, h 6 cm x w 3 cm x d 10 cm, porcelain
opposite
“Bliss”, 2013, h 12cm x w 7cm x l 26 cm, porcelain
20
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JANET MACPHERSON
PROFILE
Janet MacPherson first studied ceramics at the School of Crafts and
Design, Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada. During this period,
she made functional pottery and vessels for a pottery in Toronto. She
subsequently studied at Ohio State University until 2010, starting to work
with the figure. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and exhibition
spaces in Canada and the USA. During the autumn, she was a guest at
the Zentrum für Keramik in Berlin.
JANET MACPHERSON
724 Manning Ave
Toronto, ON
M6G 2W4 Canada
janetmacpherson14@gmail.com
www.janetmacpherson.com
mask or one of those rubber masks familiar from fancy dress
costumes. The delicate hands and feet are coated with gold lustre,
the eyes hidden behind tiny windows.
Through her Catholic upbringing, as she recalls, her pictorial world is filled with religious symbols and signs. Martyrdom,
saints weeping blood and hares as angels – fearsome monstrosities as if from the paintings of Bosch make frequent appearances
in her work, although MacPherson's sculptures are not intended
as objects of religious art. She does not delve into the interpretational and heavily meaningful depths of this pictorial world.
These are freely and intuitively assembled quotations of religious symbols that have left an inexplicable impression on Janet
MacPherson, attraction and perhaps a sense of horror. MacPherson works between historical quotation and her own emotional
interaction with what her moulds give her. It is as if the saints
were changing their costumes, trying on now fur, now wings.
In her cartoon-like colour drawings, the nebulous world of
lambs, relics and rarely seen saints like St. Apollonia, the patron
saint of dentists make their return. Floral ornaments, rays of light
and foliage are used in her decorative illustrations. Her finely
hatched colour drawings look as if they have been framed with
the wavy edges of the industrially made paper plates they are
drawn on. Here too MacPherson comments on a form that has
been reproduced thousands of times and makes it unique.
For her working visit to Berlin, she has changed her working
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technique because time is so short. She handbuilds and models
her pieces instead of casting them in porcelain and assembling
them. She covers the skin of the bowls and sculptures, like that of
the lamb that hangs strangely from a tree as if it had grown from
the earth with it, with fine sgraffito. The ornamentation familiar
from her drawings thus returns and naturally places her work
in the heavyweight tradition of such famous American ceramic
artists as Akio Takamori.
It is always exciting to follow Janet MacPherson's ceramic
figures, which at times have the lightness and playfulness of
finger exercises. The way she allows sanctified cows, hares and
sheltered lambs to find their way to meet each other. And to be
able to observe how she herself understands the metaphorical
relationship between humans and animals. It makes us want to
pursue how the saints and the Madonnas from her scenarios liberate themselves from their obligations in the hubbub of highly
personal memories and experience. Ultimately like creatures of
fantasy, comic figures, toy animals and religious knick-knacks
functioning in the same artificial world and what they can say
to each other – working with quotations is not entirely free of
obligations.
Anja Sommer studied ceramics in Germany, the USA and Finland.
She lives and works in Berlin as an art mediator and also runs a gallery for contemporary art.
21
PROFILE
Nathalie
Doyen
COCOONED
recent work 2011-2015
I
like to model clay calmly and slowly. It is in this way, at this rhythm,
that my concentration is at its best. My recent pieces are carried out
with much precision and patience; with a lump of clay in my hands, I
form a round shape, a sphere which I spread or flatten and in which I carve
one, two or three gentle curves, shaped into shallow areas or into plump
cheeks.
Next, in the way that stones in nature are covered with lichens or mosses,
I cover my still-raw model with a multitude of ‘mini balls’ made from clay
rolled between my fingers. Once they are in position, these small stoneware
lozenges stained with metallic oxides are textured one by one with fine holes
pricked with a needle. Occasionally, I enhance the surface with a diluted pigment or oxide. From a technical point of view, this is simple. But the trick is
to maintain sensitivity while making repetitive movements.
The thing which really matters to me is the procedure: I have always
worked calmly with clay, searching for tranquillity, but now I am looking
further. The slow pace has become a process in itself. In this way, each day,
during sessions of 2 to 6 hours, the rhythm of my work proves to be meditative, even hypnotic.
“Over there”
2014
coloured stoneware
1200°C
30 x 22 x 16 cm
Photo:
Vincent Timsonnet
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
NATHALIE DOYEN
PROFILE
Assuming this slow motion is of great benefit to me. Very
often, people who look at my ceramic sculptures say that they
themselves become changed, moved, as though overwhelmed
by what these pieces give off: the sensation of a time when one
is cocooned, a dense and harmonious time, which our consumerist, competitive, hyperactive society, blinded by greed, tries to
take away from us.
This being so, in plastic art terms, the slow pace of making
and covering the piece, progressing millimetre by millimetre,
suits me perfectly. From then on I can work carefully at a sensitive tempo to create delicately nuanced textures.
I try to make the piece hold on to my gaze so that a breath,
a resonance, runs over it.
In my head, before beginning a sculpture, I imagine its colours. I think about it for several days, letting my sight be captured by one hue or another among those that I observe around
me. I choose between them and combine some of them. In this
way, I achieve a palette of intended colours for mixing clays
with oxides or pigments.
top
“Lota”, 2014, coloured stoneware and metallic oxides, 1200°C
11 x 11 x 10 cm. Photo: Vincent Timsonnet
right
“Treasure blue”, 2013, coloured stoneware and metallic oxides
1200°C, 10 x 10 x 9 cm. Photo: Nathalie Doyen
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23
PROFILE
“Vanity ”
2013
coloured stoneware
1200°C
26 x 26 x 20 cm
Photo: Vincent Timsonnet
I use oxides of cobalt, copper, chrome and manganese; and
turquoise, light blue, moss green, maize, rose, orange or yellow
stains. I measure these from 1 to 10%, sometimes mixing some
of them together. Cobalt gives me a slate-blue clay, greyer with
the addition of manganese, greener when mixed with chrome or
copper.
I fire my electric kiln to 1200°C. The colours of tinted clays
alter during firing. Also, when I am modelling, I don’t have the
colours in hand but in my head.
Of course, it’s thrilling every ceramicist adores that. There are
always surprises when the kiln is opened…
I am also beginning to take an interest in wood firing. I don’t
making any preparatory drawings.
Suggestions come to me. I feel rhythms: an untroubled surface here, undulations there, a few patches marked out, fragments which seem to vibrate, links made as they flow, clearly
defined motifs, blurred areas and so on.
I imagine natural or architectural surface features. I improvise
as the hours, days and weeks pass.
The conjugation of the volume of the base, the colours of the
clay and the textures’ rhythms guide my sight.
The ‘curiosity’, ‘tranquillity’, ‘vanity’, ‘resurgence’, the ‘over-
24
there’, the ‘everything-over-there’, reflect the differing states of
my soul. At the outset, this happens without my knowing it, then
I recognise the emotion coming from it.
I choose the dimensions of my pieces in relation to my body.
These come from the palm to both hands, to the head and the
volume which the arms can encircle. While out walking, I use
a magnifying glass to examine vegetation, mosses, bark and
stones.
At home, I browse through a natural science encyclopaedia
admiring scales, carapaces, lichens, leaves and animal skins.
Clay is a fabulous medium: powder, slip, a ‘dough’, formless
but so rich in plastic potential. It is more than a raw material,
it defines every day of my life. As a child I used to make birds’
nests from grass and mud.
In my adolescence, I used to go to workshops and took courses in modelling and throwing. I took advanced ceramics courses
with Francis Behets and Richard Owscarek at the Académie des
Beaux-art in Tournai. Since then, for almost 30 years, I have not
stopped researching, creating and exhibiting.
For a long time I was uneasy in spaces with large installations,
set up in situ. I had to have air, I needed to extend my field of
vision, to open out and be part of space.
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NATHALIE DOYEN
left
“Just over there”, 2014, coloured stoneware, 11 x 9 x 8cm
Photo: Vincent Timsonnet
right
“Treasure”, 2010, black stoneware and porcelain slip, 1200°C
8 x 6 x 5 cm Photo: Benoît Carpeau
For several years now, the way that I approach the object, the
sculpture, brings me into a dialogue with it, an approach which
is more intimate. Recent pieces are shown here.
These ceramic pieces, though they may be small and detailed,
refer equally to space, coming from it or recalling an imaginary landscape. These new pieces attract the eye with their gentle
shapes and mineral colours. Their velvety texture is intriguing;
PROFILE
one approaches, is drawn by the ‘astonishing textile effect’. As
Nicole Crestou says, ‘we need to touch in order to see, to feel in
order to understand.’
Indeed, I have always been interested in the appearance of
clay: its grain, its pores, the wrinkles, the nerves, the imprints
which appear on its surface when I handle it. I often mark it with
traces, etchings, with scratches enhanced with oxides and slips.
It is at that key moment when I feel that I want to accentuate the depth of the texture, when I add a little material to the
scratches and needle holes, that the outer skin of my sculptures
evolves.
The fine holes that I have made with my needle in the clay add
an absorbent capillarity, a mysterious interface causing threads
of shadow…
Nathalie Doyen was born in Algiers in 1964. She has exhibited in Belgium and abroad since 1987. She has been artist in residence in France,
Portugal, Italy, China and in Quebec. She teaches ceramics at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Namur, Belgium. Work on permanent exhibition in
Belgium: in Brussels, at the Galerie de l’Ô - “Barbotine Murale”; in Mons at the WCC-BF in the creators' windows; in Morlanwelz at the Musée
Royale de Mariemont -“Un souffle sous mes paupières” , installation acquired by the Belgian French Community.
IN QUEBEC: in the regional park Bois de Belle-Rivière, Laurentides - “Prémeditation”,
created in situ for the Laurentides Contemporary Art Museum Art3 trail, commissioned
by Suzanne FerlandL, supported by Wallonie-Bruxelles International.
IN CHINA: at the FuLe International Ceramics Art Museum, the FLICAM, Fuping, near
Xian, the installation “Flow” and charger “Bien dans son Assiette”, created in residence, supported by Wallonie-Bruxelles International.
Member of the Collège des Alumni de l‘Académie Royale de Belgique.
Member of Smart asbl; member of the World Craft Council - French- speaking Belgium.
1983 to 1987: trained at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Tournai X, taught by Francis
Behets and Richard Owzcarek.
Nathalie Doyen
14, chemin de Latinne
B4263 Tourinne-la-Chaussée, Belgium
nathaliedoyen@yahoo.co.uk I www.nathaliedoyen.be
Gallery contact: www.wcc-bf.org
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25
PROFILE
On ceramist FRAUKE
Walter Lokau
W
ALBER
The mug with the golden handle or
what is left of the Golden Age...
hen Frauke Alber (b. 1962) launched into her career,
all was well with the world of ceramics in Germany,
it seemed to be “golden" ...
Frauke Alber's beginnings coincided with the zenith of what
might be termed the “Golden Age” of German ceramics – a period that began in around 1960 and up to around 1990 unfurled
26
what was known as “studio ceramics”, assembled to form into
large private collections and finding a place in museums.
Ceramics was booming. Galleries, museums and institutions
were devoting themselves with some enthusiasm to this subject
and a growing audience of collectors eagerly acquired these new
distinctive, individually designed pieces. Art schools ran ceram-
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
FRAUKE ALBER
PROFILE
opposite page
- golden bowls, porcelain
all h 6 cm Ø 9.5 cm
top
- bowl, Ø 50cm, spotted vase
h 35 cm, porcelain
bottom
- spotted bowls, porcelain
h 6 cm, Ø 9.5 cm
ics courses or set them up.
And no less sought after than
the ceramic products themselves was training to become
a ceramist. When the generation of those born around
1960 took the field, aspirants
found themselves faced with
the problem of finding a place
to study or train.
After graduating from
school, Frauke Alber too travelled the length and breadth of
Germany in search of an apprenticeship, which after much
endeavour and good fortune,
she found in Merzhausen near
Freiburg im Breisgau, south
western Germany, under potter Maria Philippi. Her apprenticeship from 1983 was
demanding and meticulous
but friendly. The indispensable gain from her training was
that Frauke Alber learned the
potter's trade from scratch.
She qualified in 1985. At first,
tableware was not an issue,
only voluminous, sculptural
forms as vessels, not without
function but autonomous. She
decided to apply for appropriate further education courses
– she was accepted in Bremen,
where just in that year, Fritz
Vehring was appointed professor of ceramics.
As a student, she initially
made large scale raku vessels
– a very characteristic form of
hers that she still uses today in infinite variations: on a small
foot, stretched, or later compressed egg shapes, rising with a with
a rounded belly and a wide mouth, a narrow rim turned sharply
inwards. But it was not so much the then-rampant Japanophilia
that kindled her interest in raku. But it is one specific aspect that
fascinated the young ceramist: it was the unpredictable, shimmering, uncommonly attractive interplay of colours resulting
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from the application of glazes, thinly applied with a broad brush,
often with gaps or poured on with overlaps that lent the static
body of the vessels a beguiling painterly dynamism and abstract,
gestural depth.
The vessel was encompassed by painting in the round. Although Frauke Alber exhibited these pieces all over Germany and
was successful in terms of sales, after a few years a sense of dis-
27
PROFILE
above
deep bowl, stoneware, porcelain slips, h 40 cm, Ø 38 cm
below
platinum mugs, porcelain, h 10 cm, Ø 8cm
satisfaction emerged: the play of colour in raku was something
of a gimmick, in the long run almost too facile, deriving merely
from something drawn from the flames. In addition, Albers was
no longer satisfied with the dull, cardboard-like sound from lowfired raku ware; it had to become more substantial and controllable. This led from 1991 to the period of thrown stoneware vessels with a richer, more deliberate colour composition, applied in
porcelain slips coloured with stains.
With block-like, boxy vessels, she even temporarily abandoned rotational symmetry, laying out the quadripartite painting
with a vertical trend, corresponding to planes of the form divided
by its sharp corners.
1991 was an eventful year for Frauke Alber: she set up the
first studio of her own in Bremen – with the Ceramics Prize from
the Frechen Cultural Foundation, she received one of the major
prizes for emerging ceramic artists – four years later, she was
also awarded the Bremen Talent Award from the Crafts – and she
travelled to South America twice: once to Ecuador on a scholarship, the second time as part of an aid project in Mexico. The
trips to Latin America, to be repeated in 1994 and 1998 with
visits to Nicaragua, had an influence on her work: the architecture of ancient cultures with their stepped pyramids, cut off
square, gave Albers the idea for works in brick for public spaces,
counteracting the massive, angular, pointed forms with large, tall
empty arches. There was also a kind of barrel or tower vessels,
which were often over half a metre tall built up from heavily
grogged clay, subsequently taking up architectural elements like
the principle of the arch in idiosyncratic foot shapes.
Frauke Alber's time at the Bremen University of the Arts ended in 1993, at the end in Fritz Vehring's masterclass. Then came
– interruptions. In 1995 and 1997, her first two children were
born, the third came in 2002. Alber withdrew somewhat from the
world of ceramics through the necessary breaks. These few years
are enough for her, in her attempts to reconnect with her prior
successes and to reestablish contacts, to suddenly and very distinctly perceive the profound and dramatic transformation that
the world of ceramics in Germany was undergoing.
What was she to do? Although she had refused to become
involved with functional ceramics after graduation, the situation
now seemed so frustrating that she felt it was at least worth a try:
for use at home and for herself, she had always thrown porcelain
tableware, and at one of the earliest opportunities, it was possible
to find on her market stall handily formed cylindrical mugs in
unglazed porcelain with a sturdy ring handle in gold – an eyecatcher without any question.
FRAUKE ALBER
There is nothing at all ignominious about producing beautiful ceramics in series. On the contrary: only in this way, and increasingly so, can
the cause of ceramics be kept in the public's mind,
who are not so much collectors obsessed with
unique pieces as increasingly are people who reject mass produced products and select special,
handcrafted things for daily use.
Like many others of her generation, Frauke Alber now has a dual strategy: on the one hand, the
popular functional tableware, on the other, ceramic artworks. Tableware, place settings, bowls and
dishes, egg cups, cups, teapots, vases, all thrown
in porcelain with clear, glossy or matt black glazes,
some areas gilded in gold or platinum: the rims of
the plates, the interior of the bowls, elements of the
clearly structured cups that seem to be assembled
from various shapes. It is the contrast between the
noble metal and the white of the porcelain, the
black of the matt glaze that enhances the pots,
sometimes with what seems to be delicate irony.
Yet for all their refinement, there is nothing dainty
about them – everything must be functional, the
handle of the cup has to be in the right place, it
has to be easy to grasp. This is one side of the coin.
The other side still consists of the one-off,
unique pieces where the work of the 1990s continues uninterrupted: large, stoneware vessels, assembled invisibly from individual elements and
coated with white porcelain slip, smaller ones
made of porcelain. The gestural brushwork is now
more sparing but more intense in colour: individual highlights, streaks, daubs, whisks, scraped thin
with a rib, drawn out or sprayed on like a coloured
mist, at the foot or the lip leaving the majority of
the vessel free, transforming the heaviness of the
vessel into lightness. And a new series of forms
is awaiting further development: porcelain vessels
like thick bamboo stems, assembled from similar
concave or interlocking elements, the seams heavily emphasised.
It is not only positive pragmatism that distinguishes Frauke Alber: she does not give up. Although she is one of the last generation that shared
something of the “Golden Age”, she is not at all at
odds with the course of time. Idealism is one thing,
reality is something different. The success of her
ceramics has proved her right and permits her to
look into the ceramic future undaunted. For the
past nine years now she has trained her own apprentices, one of the very few to train people in the
potter's craft. Could one be more optimistic? Since
Frauke Alber set out in her profession, thirty years
have passed – which is hardest for her to believe
herself! The “Golden Age” before that lasted about
the same time. Who can predict the state of health
of ceramics in another thirty years?!
Tubular vessels, porcelain, h 50 - 70cm
Frauke Alber, born in 1962, lives and works in Bremen. After an apprenticeship with
Maria Philippi, she studied ceramics at the University of the Arts in Bremen under Prof.
Fritz Vehring. In the 80s and 90s, she participated in various symposia, took part in
ceramic aid projects in Latin America and exhibited her vessels in numerous solo and
group exhibitions. She was awarded the Ceramics Prize of the Frechen Cultural Foundation and the Talent Award for Craft in Bremen. She has had studios in Bremen since
1991, often sharing with others. In 1995, 97 and 2002 her three children were born.
Over the past fifteen years, Frauke Alber has made more and more porcelain tableware
beside her individual pieces. Her work can be seen all over Germany in galleries and
exhibitions, as well as at ceramics and craft markets. Since 2003, she has taken over an
organisational role for the crafts, planning and organising Kunstwerk im Viertel, studio
open days in Bremen, planning and organising the crafts market and actively participating in the applied artists' association, AKB, organising exhibitions and, since 2013
together with other colleagues, she has run the producers' gallery for craft and design,
RAUM in Bremen.
FRAUKE ALBER
Keramik
Schweizer Straße 4b
28203 Bremen
GERMANY
Tel.+Fax: +49 (0) 421-4989367
frauke.alber@gmx.de
Dr. Walter H. Lokau has a PhD in art history. He lives
in Bremen as a freelance writer.
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PROFILE
29
PROFILE
Suvira
McDonald
Stone Samplers
Michaela Kloeckner
Y
ou would not think that Murwillumbah, a small
country town in far northeastern New South Wales,
Australia in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River,
848 km north-east of Sydney, 13 km south of the Queensland
border and 132 km south of Brisbane, would be the home
of the world class regional Tweed River Art gallery. Nestled
between the lush, undulating foothills of Mt. Warning and
the magnificent Border Ranges is an award winning building,
whose design was inspired by the corrugated iron clad dwellings of the countryside, incorporating the hoop pines that
once graced the hilly site.
On Sunday 1 February 2004 it opened its doors, with the
building's balconies and windows capturing the spectacular
scenery, the clientele sipping coffee on its verandas and delighting in its wonderful blend of art and nature.
The support of local artists has been paramount and on 19
December 2014, Stone Samplers, an exhibition with acrylic
paintings by Karyn Fendler and Suvira McDonald’s ceramic
sculptures, was officially opened.
Multifaceted Suvira McDonald, who was once a professional dancer (www.suviramcdonald.com), is an award-winning Australian artist with his studio located in Goonengerry,
Byron Shire in New South Wales, Australia.
Like many regional artists, Suvira has a diverse practice
which enab les him to devote his full-time energy to art. His
work has ceramics as its central medium and it includes tableware, sculptural forms and wall-mounted landscape imagery.
He is formally educated in ceramics and studied at Lismore
College of TAFE between 1992-6, proceeding as a Master's
candidate to Southern Cross University in 1997 and completing his wood firing research there in 1999. He has exhibited
widely since then and produces volumes for the table, walls,
the home courtyard or garden and has also completed corporate commissions.
The other strand of his art practice includes public art and
sculpture using metal, wood and stone. He also curates exhibitions, project manages community art, teaches at tertiary
level and writes. His focus shifts as commissions, exhibitions
and projects demand.
He maintains an art practice that identifies landscape and
the exploration of materials as central concerns, which becomes evident in his latest show of 11 landscape sculptures,
which initially were inspired by the Asian tradition of Schol-
30
“Timeless Crag”, 55 x 25 x 17 cm
opposite - “Spirit Stone”, 45 x 26 x 20 cm
ars’ Rocks, complete with handmade wooden bases and stainless steel
feet. Scholars Rocks (gõngshí – China, Suiseki – Japan), an Asian art
tradition, have held a fascination for the artist for some time now and
his interpretations have threaded through his work over many years. Evidence suggests Gongshi originated in the Yellow Mountains, which have
deep spiritual significance in China. Chinese scholars often called these
rare examples Spirit Stones and placed them in their studies for indoor
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SUVIRA McDONALD
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PROFILE
31
PROFILE
contemplative viewing. In Japan, Suiseki forms a triad with Ikebana and Bonsai.
McDonald’s sculptures have developed from this study over the
past 6-8 years. Beginning with vessels directly related to particular
landscapes, more recently his sculptures have taken a turn to a
faceted stylisation of mountainous forms. McDonald also emphasises the presence of quartz veins in the rocks, which he translates
as waterfalls. Further, the works also reference threatened climate
stability as borne out by the glacial and parched-earth imagery.
The timelessness evoked by rocks is inherent in this contemplation. All the pieces in the collection of ceramics are made using
Keane’s white raku clay and fired to cone 10 in reduction, except
for the sculpture Majestic, which is porcelain.
The glazes are from Suvira’s personal glaze palette, some of
which have been composed for the purpose of this show, others
have been in his palette for a very long time.
The works are mounted on cabinet timber bases, which is
Suvira’s contemporary interpretation of the manner in which
the traditional stone collectors of Asia have preserved and collected their specimens. He has specifically selected the pieces
of timber, which have come from a number of sources. Some
are very local like the camphor laurel with a distinct eucalyptus
“Majestic” - 30 x 28 x 21cm
“Broken Cascade” - 44 x 23 x 18 cm
scent, even classified as environmental weed because of its fast
growth - others are rosewood.
Spirit Stone 1 and 2 were my personal favourites as they
evoked images of my childhood of sitting comfortably warm on
a sofa next to the central heating in my parents lounge in Bavaria, Germany. I would look out into the blue and grey sky and
the snow-covered mountains, where the snow had dusted all the
trees white, like icing sugar and the waterfall was frozen solid in a
milky, bluish colour and the snow kept falling gently.
Suvira’s work is not only masterfully created and beautiful – it
is so much more! The work has the subtle power to connect with
viewers on a very deep emotional level and as such it becomes
part of their personal story.
Michaela Kloeckner is a ceramicist and free lance writer. She lives and
works on the Gold Coast, Qld, Australia.
Suvira McDonald holds a masters degree in ceramics from Southern
Cross University, awarded in 2000. Since then he has taught at tertiary
level and his practice includes a spectrum of arts-related activities including sculpture for the public domain, ceramic sculpture, tableware,
exhibition curation, project management and consulting. His work is
in collections worldwide and has produced work for public places at
various sites in his local, Byron and the surrounding shires of Northern
NSW, Australia.
SUVIRA McDONALD
Studio:
300 Mafeking Road Goonengerry
NSW 2482 Australia
PO Box 13 Federal 2480- NSW
Australia
Tel. +61-2 6684 9194
suvira@suviramcdonald.com
www.suviramcdonald.com
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FORUM
Form Follows Failure
An exhibition from the ceramics course at Burg Giebichenstein
Gustav Weiß
Ceramics at Burg Giebichenstein retained its independence as a subject of study, whereas at other
art schools it was merged with sculpture or industrial design. As it transpires, the special nature of
ceramics has lived up to its status of independence.
T
he exhibition of Prof. Martin Neubert’s ceramics course took place
to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of teaching art at the Crafts School in
the University of Art in Halle at the same
time, although the two things have little
in common. The artists like Charles Crodel
and all the others whose importance was
mentioned by Dr Renate Luckner-Bien had
hardly any influence on ceramics. Gertraut
Möhwald, the only ceramist from Halle to
gain major standing as an artist the world,
followed the example of Antoni Gaudi’s
Parc Guell, where his assistant Josep Juiol
used colourful fragments of tiles to embellish the walls. She used ceramic shards
in her heads, achieving the meaning philosopher David Hume had pronounced in
the 18th century when he explained that
in the human mind, there is a continuing
succession of impressions and of reflection,
memories and ideas but no constant perception that holds it all together. Through
the advent of sense and meaning, ceramics
became art.
For eleven years, first as a lecturer, then
as a professor, Martin Neubert has been
battling with the unrelenting problem of
accompanying young people in the development of their character in order to release
them into the lawlessness and boundlessness of art, in a world where everything
becomes a commodity. And now this exhibition. It was shown in April and May at
Dringenberg Castle and the historic town
hall. Besides ceramics and the anniversary, a third element was added through the
choice of this venue, i.e. the desire to advertise “Kulturland Kreis Höxter” with its castles as an attraction for culturally interested
tourists. All of that had to be squeezed into
the opening speeches.
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Sarah Bartmann: “Cake Teapots”
33
FORUM
left - View of the exhibition
below - Sarah Bartmann:
“Upright creature with
shining eyes”
For the ceramics exhibition, the title
Form Follows Failure was chosen, adapted
from Loius Sullivan's dictum from 1896,
“Form Follows Function” as an orientation of architecture towards purpose and
of design towards functional objects – a
slogan that has been popular ever since.
34
That it was only about form was a limitation that can be accepted for design, not,
however, for art. Form should have function as its goal. But now the “follow” should
no longer be an orientation, but should follow a time of “real practical or ideational/
aesthetic failure” – a characterization of the
past that Gertraut Möhwald on cloud nine
would not allow.
That ceramics retained its independence
among the arts in Halle of all places has its
reasons. From the beginning, handicraft was
the focus, still a craft though. It was merely
renamed as applied art, which then meant
it was art. Up until 1950, numerous potter's
wheels were lined up there because throwing was accorded outstanding validity. The
20th century was dominated by the will –
in the person of the principal, Herr Funkat
– to contribute to overhauling traditional
thinking through one's own creative powers. This overhaul was to be consummated
by insights into nature. Until then, this had
always been confronted with a sense of
indifference far removed from knowledge,
content in experience based on craft practice. Gertraut Möhwald had switched from
sculpture to ceramics because an awareness
of the closeness of nature was in the offing.
She said a whole universe opened up to her.
Wanting to know how something is
made is rooted in every ceramist's genes.
This is revealed in Martin Neubert's answer
to the question of how he understands his
job: “We reinvent an inventors' environment. Seek to find previously disregarded
factors against the general desire for technical perfection, introduce elements of disturbance and confusion in the search. Every
single exhibitor here has gone through a
programme of investigation like this." This
means to say that possibilities are not seen
as given but rather that students are given
responsibility for creating the possibilities
in their own creative work. In the hope
of discovering something that had been
unused or which may even have seemed
impossible. They are to grasp the new expectations that emerge on the horizon and
fulfil them. To awaken the potential that
dwells within everyone. To illustrate this,
I would like to make reference to Jackson
Pollock: his starting point was a technique
that Max Ernst had experimented with before him, and he poured lines on a horizontal canvas, first mechanically and then by
hand. His wife, also a painter, merely made
ironic comments. He did not realise himself
that these works represent the state of the
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
FORUM
right - Katja Jaroschewski:
“All tubes –
large and small“
below - Katja Jaroschewski: “As long
as you have got your feet
under my table” from the
series “What Mum can do"
present because they have no centre
and no limits.
And now to the exhibited works.
Teapots that stimulate the creative
urge are among them as are imaginative abstract figurations, busts and
faces. The degree of audacity and
ability varies. Nobody will expect
to follow the past with entirely new
creations or reinterpretations. But they
may expect the freedom to be defined
by one's own ideas and not by external forces. Nothing can be taken for
granted any more and anything can
be skipped over, there are no longer
any limits where asking questions or
inexperience might stop. The new that art
students learn here is that they no longer
bother with conventional things and that
they are themselves the starting point from
which they can blaze their won trail according to their own judgment. What has
been here before may in its way and for its
time have been reasonable, but nevertheless there may be other forms of creativity along side it that are equally worthy of
being brought to fruition and that are now
incompatible with it. Some examples may
go to show how young people can behave in a rebellious and recalcitrant
manner to keep themselves free for
their own ideas. Thus every positive
act expresses itself simultaneously
in negation. Creation is change and
change is negation. From the point of
view of the future the affirmative side
dominates, from the point of view of
the present it is the negation. A few
pieces may be subjected to the scornful verdict of the predecessors who are
branded as heretics. To take the wind
out of their sails, Renate Luckner-Bien
found a justification: “Perfection in
any form is considered boring in the
long run; it is only the imperfect that
remains exciting.” No one has exposed
the connection between creation and
change more starkly or expressed it
more forcefully than Nietzsche: “And
he who has to be a creator in good
and evil - truly, he has first to be a
destroyer, and break values. Thus the
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
greatest evil belongs with the greatest good:
this however is the creative good.”
It would be something different to come
to the insight that in the long history of tradition every possibility had been exhausted
and the hands on the clock of the world
had moved forward a little again, creating
a new situation and offering a new chance.
This could be described as a disenchantment with culture, which always leads to
falling back to the origins. Martin Neubert's
comment that “we take the material and
subtract backwards” might be interpreted
thus. “Back” means origins and not tradition. Traditionalism would restrict creative
force. It is not this alone that is the reason
for the hostility to tradition in modern art. It
no longer wanted to be a continuing development but a radical, revolutionary transformation aiming at subjective expression
both in the creative process and in the aims.
www.gustav-weiss.de
35
GALLERY
Atelier No 4
A new gallery opens its doors
Hannelore Seiffert
W
hilst galleries are closing all over
the country, a new and unusual
gallery has been making a mark in the
Saarland region.
In the picturesque town of St. Wendel, in an elegant Jugendstil mansion,
four high, generously proportioned rooms
have been in use for exhibitions. Barbara
Lütjens, herself a well-known painter, has
taken up the challenge and wishes to give
outstanding ceramic artists a platform in
three to four exhibitions a year.
Barbara Lütjens is not entirely inexperienced in the gallery business: twenty
years ago she successfully ran a gallery,
but with a growing family she took an extended break, concentrating on her own
art practice.
The newly fledged gallery owner is familiar with the ceramics scene – the wellknown arts centre, the Bosener Mühle
with its nationally and internationally renowned instructors is only a few kilometres away. She says, “Art has always been
a part of my life. Now I would like to pretop
Gallery Barbara Lütjens
centre
Beate Thiesmeyer, “Hare Child”, h 30 cm
terracotta, slip painted, 1100°C , gas fired, 2014
left
Michael Sälzer, “Tordu”, vessel sculpture,
h 30 cm saltglazed, woodfired stoneware,
1350°C, 2014
36
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
sent the most interesting and stimulating
contemporary ceramic artists with a wide
cross section of their work.”
This year, there is an exhibition with
Beate Thiesmeyer and Michael Sälzer from
3 – 31 July (the beautiful garden is to be
part of her plans for the exhibition). From
31 October – 28 November, Antje Scharfe
and Hozana Gomes da Costa will be the
guests.
It is to be hoped that at the opening of
these exhibitions, as before there will again
be over 100 expectant art fans squeezing
into the gallery space – and making purchases.
Hannelore Seiffert, ceramist and collector of ceramics, is a member of the AIC/IAC in Geneva. She
lives in Schiffweiler, Saarland.
Atelier No 4
Barbara Lütjens
Nikolaus-Obertreis-Straße 4
66606 Sankt Wendel, Germany
Tel. +49151/41 40 83 83
barbaraluetjens@t-online.de
www.barbaraluetjens.de
HÖHR-GRENZHAUSEN
MUSEUM
“THE BEMBEL EXPERIMENT”
– Cider Jugs in Other Cultures
M
This exhibition – which attracted a
eadow orchards, healthy drinks,
cider, cidre, apple juice and apple great deal of attention – was sponsored
wine as the classic drinks in many areas by the Höhr-Grenzhausen municipal auof the world are often served in typical thority, the Friends of the Apfelweinmujugs. In the Westerwald region of Germa- seum, wine makers Kelterei Stier, and the
ny, Bembel - apple wine jugs – of various companies Rastal, Sibelco Deutschland
shapes and sizes were thrown, saltglazed and Grimscheid. Follow-up exhibitions
and supplied en masse to greater Frank- are being planned in Frankfurt, southern
furt, the state of Hesse and to southern Germany and Spain.
Germany. Everyone is familiar
with the classic blue-grey jugs.
Together with the Initiative für
das Apfelweinmuseum in Frankfurt and local sponsors, the BEMBEL experiment has been initiated
in time for the ceramics festival,
Höhr-Grenzhausen brennt – Keramik 2015, focusing on a jug in
classic and modern guise, offering a platform at an international
level.
With unimagined success:
more than 50 ceramists with over
100 exhibits took up the subject.
In the exhibition at the Keramikmuseum Westerwald until 26
July, there are new and creative
forms of the apple wine Bembel
or the apple juice jug on show,
with a humorous slant or in classic
shape. Three prizes were awarded:
to Beate Thiesmeyer, Germany, for
her caricature "Homesick Bembel",
to Robert Lawarre from Florida for
his colourful modern ensemble,
and Joachim Ermert, Germany, for
his saltglazed Bembel with apples
that is soon to go into production.
At the invitation of the Museum,
Tomoo Hamada from Mashiko, Japan, sent two jugs, as did Johan
van Loon, NL, and Mehmet Taskin,
NL/Turkey, Andrzej Bero, Poland,
Lee Love and Elaine O. Henry, USA,
Riita Talonpoika, Finland and Peter
Meanly, UK, who is well known for
his humorous Bellarmines. He is
taking part in the exhibition with a
splendid portrait of Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, – and there
are many others! The opening was
celebrated in style with Apfelwein,
Handkäs mit Musik (marinaded
top Joachim Ermert (D), centre,
handmade cheese and onions) and
with his priezwinning Bembel
above Bembelset by Robert Lawarre (USA)
locally baked bread.
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
KERAMIKMUSEUM WESTERWALD
Höhr-Grenzhausen
www.keramikmuseum.de
http://www.bembel-experiment.de
facebook “www.bembel-experiment.de”
Infotext on the largest Bembel in the world
and more on
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembel
Exhibition runs until 26 July 2015
top
Beate Thiesmeyer (D) with Homesick Bembel
above Portrait of the Chancellor by Peter Meanley (GB)
37
EXHIBITION
Salzburg Ceramics Prize Exhibition
at the Trakelhaus, Salzburg
Kurt Spurey
T
he Salzburg Ceramics Prize has
been in existence since 1989 – it is
the only one in Austria. Any artist either
born in Austria or a resident of Austria
for over five years is eligible to take part.
From the 50 submissions, the judges
(Dr. Barbara Rollmann-Boretty, Munich,
Elmar Trenkwalder, Innsbruck, and Kurt
Spurey, Vienna), selected 18 artists for the
exhibition at the Landesgalerie im Traklhaus.
The Exhibition
An interesting, informative exhibition
providing a good overview, running from
38
24 March – 25 April 2015 at the Galerie
im Traklhaus.
The composition of the exhibition
provided an insight into the world of ceramic imagination that was in line with
the diversity of the art. There were echoes
ranging from art informel to amorphous
sculptures, even a questioning the validity of ceramic vessels.
It is an exhibition of good work, and
yet in my opinion no piece stands out so
that it would remain in mind individually.
Which brings me to the dilemma of finding a winner. Of course prizes should be
awarded and they were awarded.
The main prize went to Frank Louis.
The two scholarships to Andreas Vormayr
and Daniel Wetzelberger.
So now I would like to turn my attention to the prizewinners. It has to be mentioned that not only the exhibited works
but the artist's complete œuvre was taken
into consideration in the judging. This applies especially to Frank Louis and Daniel Wetzelberger. In the case of Andreas
Vormayer, he is still at the beginning of
his career, so it is an encouragement to
intensify his endeavours.
That the main prize was awarded to
Frank Louis is probably due to his floor-
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
SALZBURG
EXHIBITION
opposite page l. to r
- Andrea Baumann
- Canan Dagdelen
- Maria Meusburger
below left - Daniel Wetzelberger
- Andreas Vormayr
right - Frank Louis
standing sculptures. The discussion of
plane and space in the sculptures exhibited is very impressive. They dominate their
space with a powerful sense of expressivity, particularly because they are formally
rooted in a diffuse, amorphous area.
Daniel Wetzelberger generates a floor
relief from various “bones”, which are
mainly of human origin, which through
their arrangement of the bones, in themselves sculptural objects, yield a new totality. The arrangement of the parts to
each other reveals a strongly structured
pattern which seems possible in various
combinations. The “bones” themselves
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
are not an imitation
of nature, merely an
approximation from
memory.
Andreas Vormayer studies basic technical forms, which
are articulated by
painting or the application of meandering
elements. A few other artists should also
be mentioned that did after all leave a
certain impression.
The subtly stacked porcelain bowls by
Andrea Baumann reveal a high degree of
craftsmanship but show a lack of originality.
Maria Meusburgers ironic vessels are
a confrontation with traditional forms of
vessel ceramics and also a commentary of
ceramic material. The material they are
made of, aerated concrete, is a ceramic
material.
Canan Dagdelen, with room-filling
work, often present on the international
stage, works consistently with motifs
from her home country, Turkey. And goes
into cultural and societal themes with
some seriousness. In her case it is important to be familiar with her work overall
in order to have a basis for a judgement.
Only if one is familiar with her largescale installations is it possible to recognise Dagdalen's significance for the world
of ceramics in Austria. That recognition
was refused to her can only have to do
with the “mathematics of the jury”.
Heidrun Weiler’s work is based on a
successful concept. The idea of adding a
ceramic complement to a random found
object, a glove, and to guide the viewer to
follow the idea behind it through a photographic documentation is attractive.
As an overview exhibition of the Austrian ceramic landscape, this was a show
worth seeing that had enough potential
for discussion.
Kurt Spurey is a sculptor and a ceramist. He
lives and works in Vienna.
39
MUSEUM
25 Years Keramik
Museum
Berlin
Siegfried Stöbesand
W
e are standing outside the Keramik-Museum Berlin: the oldest
town house in the Charlottenburg district
of Berlin, dated 1712. A historic gem on
the Charlottenburg Architecture Route. It
has a familiar, neighbourhood feel. Schustehrrusstraße 13; a house with twin living spaces separated by a central hallway.
Saved from the wrecking ball in 1983 by
a public outcry and lovingly restored from
that time on. Strictly speaking and measured by etymological criteria, it is not of
museum provenance; it does not function
as a permanent repository for “sacred”
ceramic relics, but it does as a functional place for a well-informed exchange of
views about ceramics.
Regularly changing presentations of the
works and biographies of German ceramists and ceramics factories for functional
design as well as a contemporary international overview of international art ceramics make up its manifesto; six exhibitions a
year, with one of them showcasing a single
ceramist in the Kabinett.
photo - Gabriele Klimek
photo - DWJ-Schwarzer
We feel drawn to enter the house; a
creaking door, wooden beams; the age of
the building cannot be disguised, but that
is its charm; we become curious.
The activities of the museum are based
on the voluntary work from among its currently 320 members, with a dozen of them
contributing actively. Receiving practically no support from public institutions, the
members repeatedly succeed in organising
quality exhibitions with pieces from the
collection and from collectors. From the
moment we enter the foyer, we are greeted
by people who are glad to tell us more;
questions are answered with a friendly
willingness that tends to be the exception
in state-run institutions and which is evidence of a true passion for matters ceramic. Everyone puts their heart's blood into it.
And this is what we immediately discover in Heinz-J. Thies, the spiritus rector
of the Museum. We are astonished by how
much knowledge about the culture of ceramics this man has stored in his memory;
profound, obsessed with detail, precise.
The love of ceramics is his muse and his
leisure, his inspiration and his motivation.
His passion for ceramics began in the
early 80s. Theis recalls the situation: he
was in Paris; a bizarre art déco teapot captured his imagination. It was once owned
by Karl Lagerfeld; the lid of the teapot had
a small chip and was thus worthless for the
perfectionist KL, so Theis received it as a
gift. The pot was shaped like a car and had
the number OK – T 42 (Okay, tea for two).
Perhaps it was the ambiguity of this number plate, a recollection of the famous jazz
standard, but more likely it was the combination of ceramic material and a valuable
cultural souvenir: his curiosity for ceramics had been awakened. One piece followed
another; anyone who collects is possessed
by a passion, and collectors want to receive, to discover background information,
want to exchange views with others and
want to display what they have. He studied further, did an internship with Horst
Kerstan and collected practical experience;
inspired by Kerstan, he became acquainted
with glazed Chinese ceramics and woodfired Japanese ceramics; his perspective
broadened to become that of a ceramic
cosmopolitan.
We are now in the main exhibition
gallery – approx. 100m² – with a view of
the idyllically situated courtyard; flowers and climbing hydrangeas make this
an oasis of calm. The adjacent exhibition
galleries, the Kabinett, the picturesque
ambiance all together make a tour of the
museum an adventure for the senses.
The Museum focuses on ceramic
products from the German-speaking
world since 1850. The idea of founding a
museum dates back to 1985 and the Initiative for Founding the Ceramics Mu-
40
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
BERLIN
seum was started in 1990. Art historians,
collectors and artists were all involved, e.g.
Rahel Bontjes van Beeck (1907 – 2001).
However, this was a museum without a
home. It had guest appearances at various
venues. At the Martin Gropius Bau Museum, the life and work of Hedwig Bollhagen
(1907 – 2001) were presented. This artist
reveals another of Theis's passions. He tells
of a meeting with her. He owns a piece that
he bought at a flea market and with which
he confronted Hedwig Bollhagen. It is a
tobacco jar in the shape of a camel with
a sultan – a brilliantly inventive piece of
kitsch. One of the sins of my youth, she
answered playfully. Theis is in possession
of this monstrosity and is proud to have it
in his stores.
Not many people have seen the museums stores. We were granted the privilege
of a visit. It is located right next to the
Bröhan Museum, in the immediate neighbourhood. Over 7,000 pieces are stored
there, each of them valuable, every selected object acceptable in terms of their
intrinsic price, but invaluable in terms of
their uniqueness. Like a walking encyclopedia, Theis strode between the rows of
shelves, relating the relevant data on the
ceramists and adding anecdotes.
We were overwhelmed by these holdings. Gradually a library of ceramics is being compiled, which is to be made available for study and research. The sponsors
have made this possible, in small steps it is
true, but the Museum is becoming established in the Berlin museum landscape and
there are hopes that it will soon be taken
over by the city authorities.
The stores may appear chaotic to those
unfamiliar with it. “You must have chaos
within you to give birth to a dancing star”
(Friedrich Nietzsche). And I am reminded
photo - Gabriele Klimek
MUSEUM
photo - Gabriele Klimek
of Otto Lindig's laconic, self-ironic comment describing his own work: “Basically
making pots is always the same thing –
and a very simple one at that – You take
some earth. Dirt, as someone said to me
– and you make a vessel from it as hollow
as possible.”
Chaos compiles its own sense of order, a
new coherence emerges. Theis works tirelessly, sorting, cataloguing, photographing, classifying. Who will be able to get to
grips with this system? Who will take over
and continue this Sisyphean task?
With the anniversary celebrations on
13 June 2015, the organisers hope to make
a fresh start with lots of new members and
visitors; networking through the Facbook
page since early this year has already
made a start.
Back at the Museum, we could now
enjoy the free-spirited atmosphere of this
remarkable museum. Could not the capital
of the republic further claims to its uniqueness by putting forward plans for some-
thing truly unparalleled in the German
speaking world? It would be wonderful if
the “silver jubilee” could thus be turned
into gold.
Siegfried Stöbesand, M.A. is a senior grammar school teacher. He lives in Laatzen.
opposite page
- the Museum from the street
- the main gallery from the
courtyard
above - the main gallery
below l. - the romantic courtyard
below r. - Museum director H.J. Theis with the
piece by Hedwig Bollhagen
mentioned in the text
Keramik-Museum Berlin (KMB)
Schustehrusstraße 13 - 10585 Berlin, Germany
Fr, Sat, Sun, Mon 1 – 5 p.m.
www.keramik-museum-berlin.de
www.facebook.com/keramikmuseum.berlin
photo - Gabriele Klimek
GALERIE
The October courses
on the human form at
Raval de l’Art
F
or Rainer G. Schumacher, it started as
an experiment: would it be possible
to teach people who already had experience
with ceramics all the techniques necessary to
express the human form as a theme in art
during a fourteen day course? In this brief
period, would it be possible to teach the necessary fundamental principles of anatomy?
To give the participants the necessary skills
for them to be able to give their work meaning? And while doing so, to enter into an
intellectual dialogue with them about the human form in art?
It was possible, and more than that: for
the participants of these two first courses,
it was a very special, unforgettable time
and a very instructive experience that
helped them to develop professionally.
Quite apart from the fact that after working hard in the studio, the participants had
a wonderful time sitting around the table
in a relaxed atmosphere, discussing their
work or simply chatting under the blue
skies of the still-warm Spanish autumn.
Rainer G. Schumacher wants to pass on
his knowledge to ceramists who are prepared to leave the familiar terrain of their
work, to develop as artists and to give their
work more meaning. The setting and the
space for this is provided by the Raval de
l'Art, a picturesquely situated finca belonging to the German-Spanish couple on
the edge of the Ebro delta in eastern Spain.
It has a sculpture park with work by Rainer
G. Schumacher, two studios, an exhibition
space for the unique vessels made by his
wife, master ceramist Teresa-Marta Batalla, and their living quarters, large enough
to accommodate all of the course participants comfortably. But it is not least the
beauty of the landscape that contributes to
the lasting impression of the place.
This intensive course is about the representation of the human form in clay, in
the form of freely handbuilt, hollow sculptures. For this, the sculptures are built up
from the inside out, which broadens the
spectrum of expressive possibilities of the
surface and which is especially appropriate
to clay as a material because of its flexibility.
There were three participants from Germany and France respectively in the first
two courses. All age groups from the mid
twenties to the mid sixties were present.
They came from various areas of art and
had varying degrees of experience. This
meant the instructor had to adjust hugely
in the way he approached his different
42
students, for which they rewarded him by
making rapid progress within a very few
days. “Rainer was completely and undividedly open to his students' needs and
had a profound influence on how we see
our own work,” writes one of his students;
others tell of a powerful presence and intensive support that they had never before
experienced in a teaching environment.
Seeing one's own development as an
artist more clearly, to pursue one's own
course and to think critically about how
the art market influences us is one aspect
of the various forms of encouragement
that one can take home from the Raval
de l'Art to one's own studio. The warmhearted hospitality and the outstanding
individual attention that participants encounter there create an atmosphere where
after hours in the studio they are glad to
relax and simply let go.
The next intensive course on the human
form takes place in the first two weeks of
October this year. Further details and application forms are available from
www.ravaldelart.com
Ule Ewelt is a ceramist. She took part in the
first October course in 2013. In 2014, she
participated in the Christmas exhibition at the
Raval de l'Art and taught her own workshop
on animal sculptures here.
www.keramik-uleewelt.de
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
PRÄSENTATION
The Flow
of Time
Contemporary ceramic
art from USA and Europe
Marc Leuthold and
Martin McWilliam
in the Ceramic Portrait at the 2015 Oldenburg International Ceramics Fair
F
or the world of German ceramics, it
is one of the most exciting events
of the year: The Keramikerportrait at the
International Ceramics Fair in Oldenburg.
As had already been announced in some
media, after the presentation of Japan and
Turkey last year, this year's event was to
be dedicated to the ceramic art of the USA,
with workshops, presentations and talks,
emphasis on "was”! But sometimes the best
laid plans go awry. Even such a careful organiser as the Werkschule – Werkstatt für
Kunst und Kulturarbeit can also fall victim
to the unpredictable: thus Martin MacWilliam from the UK but who works in northern Germany will take the place of Ian
Meares, after the experimental ceramic artist from the USA had been forced to withdraw at short notice for family reasons. This
reshuffle should not detract from the attractiveness of the Ceramic Portrait on 1 and 2
August 2015 – the change of programme,
which once again includes a master class,
will certainly maintain the quality of the
event. And it will even add to the internationality of the Fair!
Trained at the renowned College of William and Mary in Williamsburg and the
University of North Carolina in Chapel
Hill, Marc Leuthold (b. 1962) now teaches
at the State University of New York, after
posts at Princeton University and The Parsons School of Design, also in New York.
Since 1999 he has been a member of the
Académie Internationale de la Céramique
in Geneva. The work of the son of European immigrants is wide ranging, moving
between abstract and figural sculpture, between discrete objects and thematically designed installations from various combinations of materials. These include on the one
hand abstract porcelain agglomerations,
emphasising their materiality, resembling
three-dimensional scribbles or growing
bowl or crystal formations. Thematically
more pointed are the sharp cones, divided
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
by rings, not dissimilar to microphone or
loudspeaker cones or flowers, some made in
marbled porcelain – like generators of associations that do not refuse any symbolic
resemblance. And finally there is the group
of objects that has been a major theme of
the artist's for the longest time: wheels,
spiral formations with incised, delicate lamellar structures, in which faces can even
be vaguely detected. In recent times, small,
swiftly modelled figures after photos or
other images have put in an appearance: a
work of transitory character, between becoming and being, between nature and culture, even between worlds, influenced by
the cultures of the Mediterranean region,
Africa and Asia.
Martin McWilliam too is a wanderer
between cultures and genres. He was born
in Cape Town in 1957, and after his return
top the UK, graduated from Bournemouth
College of Art, subsequently training at
the famous Dartington Pottery Workshop
founded by Bernard Leach. Years of travel took him around Europe and to Japan,
where he became familiar with ancient firing techniques in traditional woodfire kilns,
to which he has remained faithful ever sinces. Martin McWilliam has been working
in northern Germany since 1983. In 2007
he too became a member of the Académie
Internationale de la Céramique in Geneva.
The work of Martin McWilliam is typified
by seemingly contradictory elements. On
the one hand, there is the seemingly outmoded working method: there are hardly
any machines in the pottery, and firings
take place in a noborigama kiln built after Japanese models, in which the work
acquires unique colour through the play
of the flames and deposits of ash. And on
the other hand, we see the artist's forwardmoving artistic reflection on the theme of
the vessel. Thus Martin McWilliam has over
the years progressed from “genuine” vessels
to richly varied series of handbuilt trompe
43
l’œil vessels – pictorial sculptures growing
increasingly complex. This exceptional ceramic artist has not left it there: after firing,
he works on his latest pieces with a hammer
and chisel, making true sculptures from his
modelled works, the composition playing
with the contrast of modelled and sculpted
elements. Thus a kind of archaeology of
the work is accomplished, both as an artistic action and an anticipation of its being
found by a future civilisation.
Information on the Ceramic Portrait and
the flyer as a .pdf download are availabe on
www.werkschule.de/keramiktage/keramikerportrait.php (ed.)
top left - Marc Leuthold, Apocalypse Mitosis
porcelain, 2013, h 28 cm
top right
Martin McWilliam, Core xv, 28 x 23 x 7 cm
Martin McWilliam with works
Marc Leuthold at work
FAIR
Regina Heinz
F
Ceramic Art London 2015
or the 11th time, Ceramic Art London
took place from 17 – 19 April 2015
at the Royal College of Art, this year on a
lovely spring weekend. Since it started 10
years ago CAL has built up a reputation
as a leading showcase for contemporary
ceramics of high standard with beautiful
presentations and smart looking stands,
attracting an international audience with
collectors coming from as far as away as
Brazil especially to meet the ceramic artists
at this prestigious event. My visit to CAL
has become standard in my calendar and
almost feels like a family visit, as I know
so many of the regular exhibitors really
well. As I made my way through the fair, I
was told that the numbers of visitors from
the general public was up this year, the
result perhaps of a well organised market-
44
ing campaign, which included
large posters on London underground for the first time.
CAL is a good opportunity
to meet really established makers and this year in particular
the fair had a very impressive
list of high profile participants
such as Peter Beard, Thomas
Bohle from Austria, Gabriele
Koch, Annie Turner, Eddie Curtis, Peter Hays, Chris Keenan,
Sasha Wardell, Sophie McCarthy and Akiko Hirai, just to
name a few. Yet there is always
something new to discover.
As a rule CAL keeps about
25% each year open for new
and emerging artists and exhibitors from abroad. From
Germany it was good to see
Karin Bablock and Uwe Loellmann re-exhibiting, and great to meet Barbara Hast
showing her beautiful porcelain work for
the first time, Christiane Wilhelm presenting her elegant vessel forms, as well as Pit
Arens and his unusual and creative teapot
collection. New to the fair were also Hyejeong Kim, South Korea, Rizu Takahashi
and Shinobu Hashomoto, Japan, Eric Hibelot, Catherine Sapy Capri and Nathalie Domingo from France, Monika Patuszýnska
from Poland, Isobel Egan and Derek Wilson
from Ireland. The Dutch ceramicist Willy
van Bussel has shown at CAL before but
likes coming back, as he reassured me; it is
a good opportunity for him to make good
gallery contacts and international sales.
A high percentage of exhibits is vessel
based but I had the impression that this year
in particular the selectors tried to include a
wide range of contemporary styles and ceramic techniques. The displays featured animal sculptures, beautiful functional ware
by James and Tilla Waters or Jeremy Nichols as well as sculptural pieces such as the
fascinating objects with hand-painted optical patterns by Jin Eui Kim, a South Korean
now based in Cardiff. The fair also included
a colourful installation by Yun Wook Mun,
another newcomer from South Korea. His
conceptual work, playing with the idea of
above
- Nichola Theakston
above left
- view of the fair
above
- Yun Wook Mun
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LONDON
weight, is far removed from the traditional
ceramic notion of containment.
CAL always includes a well presented
display of first and second year students
of the ceramics MA course at the Royal
College of Art and offers an informative
lecture – or as it was called a “discovery”
programme, covering interesting makers or
new developments. CoCa was introduced
by Helen Walsh, the ceramics curator of
the new Centre of Ceramic Art at York Art
Gallery, which incorporates four private
collections and will open in Summer 2015
following an £8 million capital development project. I found most fascinating Kate
Mallone’s story about her architectural
project Savile Row, cladding a building
in 10,000 hand-painted crystalline glazed
tiles. I also listened with interest to Reino
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FAIR
left top to bottom
- James Tilla Waters
- Barbara Hast
right top to bottom
- Gabriele Koch
- Willy van Bussel
- Jin Eui Kim
Liefkins, Senior Curator at the V&A, who
spoke about the ambitious renovation of a
famous 18th century Meissen table fountain and watched a captivating film about
the Korean potter and Onggi Master Lee
Kang-Hyo. http://www.goldmarkart.com/
ceramics/potters/lee-kang-hyo.html
I left CAL slightly exhausted but definitely better informed and enthusiastic
about ceramics, having seen so many good
and diverse pieces. Once again CAL has
kept its promise of being one of the best international ceramic fairs, well worth a visit.
Regina Heinz is a ceramic artist born in
Austria. She lives in London, where she also
runs her studio.
regina_heinz@ceramart.net
www.ceramart.net
45
MUSEUM
In the passage of time - Au fil du temps:
Cathy Fleckstein
at the Keramikmuseum Kellinghusen
Hans-Georg Bluhm
in Strasbourg and Kiel. In 1975, she enrolled to study ceramics under Johannes
Gebhardt, head of ceramics at the Muthesius School, what was then the School
of Arts and Crafts in Kiel. She had met a
teacher who was to leave a lasting impression on her individuality as an artist.
Impressions and casts
In 1980, Cathy Fleckstein graduated
from the Muthesius School. The subject
of her final examination was Space and
Plane. She found the source material for
this in her spacious living and studio
quarters situated in a neglected nineteenth
century building, the Milchküche in Dahlmannstraße, Kiel.
By applying clay, she took relief impressions of the individual corners and
planes, documenting the status of the textures of the walls, including the split plaster and cracked paintwork. In this way she
managed to capture an excerpt of space in
three-dimensions. The rendering of ageing
and the results of a process of decay was
enhanced on the surface by oxides and engobes in a range of red and brown shades.
Cathy Fleckstein had thus entered new
territory in ceramic surface treatment.
From her graduation pieces, an autonomous group of works developed: in the
following years, she created an entire encyclopaedia of cracks, fractures, crevices
and fissures
Torn and split surfaces can also be
found on smaller objects, such as the cubes
from 1982, which in that year earned the
young artist the Modern Ceramics Prize at
the International Biennial of Ceramic Art
in Vallauris – recognition and motivation
at once.
photos - Bernd Perlbach
I
n Cathy Fleckstein, we meet one of
the most distinctive ceramists in Germany. This summer, she turns 60, which is
reason enough to take a closer look at the
life and work of this major artist.
46
Background and training
Cathy Fleckstein was born in Molsheim,
a small town in Alsace, in 1955. After
graduating from secondary school, she
studied German and Romance philology
Ceramic Murals and Wall Pieces
From 1984, Cathy Fleckstein has made
mural pieces, a group of works that she
has maintained up to the present.
To do this, she uses a coarsely grogged stoneware as the base for a layer of
a body she developed herself, on which
coloured clays and materials as diverse
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
KELLINGHUSEN
MUSEUM
opposite pageWall Impression I - 1984, h 67 cm, stoneware
right Hut - 2007, h 19 cm, Ø 29,5 cm
stoneware
below left Aufbruch (“Breaking up”) - 1982, h 14 cm
stoneware
below right Dreamy - 2013, h 20 cm, stoneware
as wood, paper, glass, ash, cinders, metal,
earth from the garden and leftover pieces
of plaster from the walls are combined to
create an image.
Looking at the wall pieces chronologically, changes in technique and composition become apparent: whereas the early
works from the 1980s tend to have massive individual elements that appear raw
and fissured, the newer works have become more delicate, more sensitive and
thus more variegated.
Today, Cathy Fleckstein also works with
small – or even tiny – individual, variously shaped pieces of clay, sometimes as
a counterpoint to large areas, and she assembles them on the prepared background
to keep producing new variations..
The technical implementation is based
on knowledge acquired through experimentation that provides her with a large
stock of creative possibilities, which, as
building blocks, as individual letters can be
used for her words, sentences and stories.
Stelae and Cones
Parallel to the pictorial panels, since
1986/87 Fleckstein has been making
sculptural pieces, including cones up to
six feet tall, stelae and vessel forms. Here
too, layered strips of clay predominate today, either cracked like bark or burnished
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
smooth. Surface treatment remains the
central theme. In her own words:
“I usually take my inspiration from nature. To me it is a mirror of the spiritual
forces that I listen to. I start out from the
point that touches me, for instance growth
processes, especially germination, which
have defined the cone cycle. At the base,
this form is broad, rooted in the earth, it
strives upwards and the lines come together to continue their path invisibly in the
immaterial world.”
Critical Appraisal
Although since the early 1980s, Cathy
Fleckstein has been recognised in numerous exhibitions and awards, and although
she has been a member of both the renowned Académie Internationale de la
Céramique since 1986 and of the German
Gruppe 83, she does not see herself as part
of the hurly-burly of the arts scene.
Independently of fashionable trends,
she uncompromisingly pursues her ideas,
on her own. She studies natural phenomena sensitively and meditatively, interpreting them in fascinating, large-scale narrative objects. She works systematically
and with discipline, and has the ability to
formulate her work poetically and with
craftsmanlike precision in equal measure.
We can look forward keenly to what
she will be making in her studio in Preetz
in the future!
Hans-Georg Bluhm M.A. is the director of
the Keramikmuseum Kellinghusen
Exhibition at
Keramikmuseum Kellinghusen
Haupttraße 18
25548 Kellinghusen, Germany
Telefon: +49 (0)4822-376210
museum@buergerhaus-kellinghusen.de
until 6 September 2015
47
CONFERENCE
NCECA 2015
... personally speaking ...
Evelyne Schoenmann
T
he acronym NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts)
has exercised a great attraction on me for many years, actually since I
have been a ceramist. To actually go there was on my bucket list in capital letters.
NCECA has its roots in the USA, which is why its annual congress always takes
place in a different American city. As this is not exactly just around the corner
for me, the desire to participate had been on my to-do list for some time. Two
events in quick succession finally made my mind up to make my wish come true
– my second successive win in an American competition and my election onto
the Advisory Board of Potters Council of the American Ceramic Society, ACerS.
And so there I was boarding a plane to Boston on a sunny day in March. The 49th
NCECA congress was in the sedate town of Providence, Rhode Island, around an
hour's drive from Boston, from 25 – 28 March 2015.
The NCECA stands for the worldwide furtherance and appreciation of ceramic
art. On their website, for instance, it says, “We believe that learning through art
touches lives and builds meaningful connections”. This speaks from my heart, and
I would like to play my part in it. But the NCECA congress also stands for four
days jam packed with talks, committees, demonstrations and exhibitions, workshops, events and panel discussions. In addition, there are social get-togethers,
meeting old friends and making new ones, talking shop, going on strolls around
Providence together and much more. My colleague Jimmy Clark gave enlightening insights on exhibitions in his fascinating article on the 2014 NCECA congress.
Now I would like to take you on a journey to the centre of the 2015 congress.
It really begins somewhat before the congress proper. In early March, I had
received an invitation to the loading and firing of Chris Gustin's woodfired anagama/noborigama in Dartmouth, MA. After two weeks of uninterrupted, backbreaking stoking, shortly before the beginning of the congress, the kiln was
opened and unpacked with the guests. In the immediate vicinity, in the Whale
Museum in New Bedford, an exhibition was taking place where eight New England ceramists had entered into a dialogue with the exhibits in the Museum with
their own work. After that, I found a workshop on the construction of woodfired
kilns very instructive. It was given by John Baymore at Gorse Mill Studios in
Needham, MA. I was also fascinated by the workshop at the same studio on making and firing traditional aka raku chawan. The intermediate firing in red-hot
charcoal was new to me.
On the day of the official opening of the congress, a bitterly cold Tuesday
48
top - entrance to the National Juried Student Exhibition
centre - Gustavo Pérez demonstrating
bottom - chawan lecture
NEW CERAMICS
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PROVIDENCE / USA
Lily Manoogian - K12 exhibition
afternoon, I travelled to Providence with
an NCECA old-stager, in a state of great
excitement. I was kept entertained with
useful information and anecdotes from
previous congresses. After arriving at the
congress centre, I immersed myself immediately in the hubbub, registered and
took a look in the gigantic hall, where
busy workmen were still busy setting up
the sales and display stands for the art
fair that was also taking place. The sheer
size of the congress centre, covering three
storeys with its numerous lecture theatres
and exhibition galleries was overwhelm-
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van Albrecht
ing. Luckily the organisers had provided
useful floor plans. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank the organising team
of the NCECA, especially Cindy Bracker
and Steve Hilton as well as all the volunteers! They provided us with a wonderful
experience. The Wednesday started for me
at 7.00 a.m. with the annual meeting of
the committee of the Potters Council. After
that I allowed myself to be swallowed up
by the densely packed programme of the
congress, true to its motto, Lively Experiments. I had actually, rather optimistically,
compiled my daily programmes from the
overwhelming range of events weeks in
advance. But at the congress itself, I was
regularly distracted from my plan… For instance, on the Wednesday, I was unexpectedly confronted with the choice of taking
a shuttle bus to view some wonderful exhibitions outside Providence or to attend
various artists' talks at the annual Gallery
Expo. In the late afternoon, the Potters
Council gave its traditional members' reception, which was very well attended this
year again, and was also open to nonmembers. Following this, the official opening
of the congress took place in the packed
49
CONFERENCE
Work by
above- Susan Harris
left- Janet McPherson
assembly hall. Keynote speaker was Dr Frederick Douglas Opie,
who spoke about the history of eating habits, cooking and of
course of tableware. In the second part of the evening, the socalled Randall Session, the brilliant string quartet ETHEL performed and received thunderous applause for their outstanding
show. In case you have not yet heard of ETHEL, it is worth
finding out more!
Things really began to move on Thursday and Friday with
talks and demonstrations, well organised bus trips to further
exhibition tours in and around Providence, panel discussions,
etc. A few examples:
•
Half-hour demonstrations from people like Gustavo
Pérez, Linda Christianson, Robert Lawarre III, Martha Grover,
Winnie Owens-Hart, Tara Polansky, and many more.
•
Talks such as the packed lecture by Heidi McKenzie, or
Marc Leuthold's wonderful slide show on Ceramic Art Leaving
the Ghetto. Dr Gary Branfman pointed out the dangers of bad
hand positions when throwing; John Baymore gave an introduction to the demanding and subtle requirements of chawan
teabowls.
•
Talks about glazes, the tea ceremony in China, experiments in low firing techniques, kiln maintenance, risks and considerations when setting up your own studio, the potential of
digital school rooms, Deconstructivism, etc. – a truly huge range
of subjects.
• On the ground floor, the accompanying ceramics fair
took place with far more than a hundred booths from various
universities and international schools of ceramics. Ceramics
magazines were also represented, including our own NEW CERAMICS / NEUE KERAMIK. I should also mention the countless
suppliers of clay and glazes, tools and machines ranging from
wheels, clay mixers and pugmills to kilns – so it was a real shopping paradise for ceramists.
•
Among the many exhibitions, the following should be
spotlighted: the Gallery Expo in the congress hall, the NCECA
Biennial, the 23rd annual Cup Exhibition and Sale, the Gerry
50
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
CONFERENCE
Williams Exhibition in Newport and the national Student Juried Exhibition at
the Sol Koffler Gallery. At least thirty of the over 100 NCECA exhibitions took
place in Providence itself.
•
Past Masters, a commemoration of recently deceased colleagues like
Don Reitz, Norm Shulman, Gerry Williams and Lidya Buzio, was highly emotional as many of us had known the deceased well for many years.
I would like to draw particular attention to the 18th K-12 exhibition with
work from children in nursery school to 12th grade. Incredibly impressive work
was on show from young artists between 5 and 18 years of age. The work was
judged by various organisations and the young winners were awarded generous
grants for their further training.
In the evening there was entertainment such as Steve Branfman's Clay Stories, where well-know ceramists and members of the audience recounted their
own personal five-minute clay tales, many of which were hilarious. In a video
recording, the legendary Robin Hopper also gave us a story. Then a few of the
attendees mounted the stage with their musical instruments to perform at the
5th Annual Potters' Jam Session.
Saturday began in a somewhat more downbeat mode as we all knew that we
would soon be saying goodbye to the friends we had met again as well as all
the new acquaintances from all parts of the world. In addition, the return of the
snow dampened the mood of the participants. But before departure, personal
and highly committed speeches from six emerging artists were to be heard. One
of them, Roberto Lugo, received a standing ovation from the enraptured audience when, looking at the potter's wheel, he emotionally expressed his conviction, “this machine kills hate”. Ceramic legend Jack Troy brought proceedings to
a close. In a humorous and personal talk, Troy made the audience laugh and cry
once more by reviewing a rich life for and with ceramics – and then, suddenly,
it was all over. Embraces left and right, “We'll meet again soon, won't we?”, and
the first attendees were already leaping up to catch their flights home, taking
them to all points of the compass. What remained was the wonderful feeling of
having been to a family celebration where simply everything had been right.
Have I infected yout with NCECA fever? In 2016, the 50th conference will be
taking place in Kansas City from 16 – 19 March. I would love to see you there!
www.nceca.net
Work by
above- Jeremy Randall
bottom left - Roberto Lugo
bottom right - Gerry Williams
Evelyne Schoenmann is a ceramist. She lives and works in Basel, Switzerland, and
Liguria, Italy. www.schoenmann-ceramics.ch
JULY / AUGUST 2015
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51
CONFERENCE
2nd European
Wood Firing Conference
at Guldagergaard
Mary Ann Steggles
I
n 2010 the very first European wood
firing conference was held at Brollin, Germany. At the end, Priscilla
Mouritzen, International Ceramic Research
Center, Guldagergaard, in Skaelskor, Denmark, picked up the mantle of carrying
on the tradition of a forum on all aspects
of wood firing every four years. From the
28th through the 31st of August 2014, 160
people from 19 different countries gathered at Guldagergaard. When asked to
write a review of the conference I began
to consider what it was that made these
two conferences so special, so important
and what it was that lingered in my mind
six months after I had returned to the Canadian prairies.
52
First there were a number of pre-conference events that helped to kick start
enthusiasm. Besides the month-long making and firing activities at Guldagergaard,
eighteen of us began our journey to Denmark by attending Chester Nealie's workshop at Markus Böhm's home and studio
in Alt Gaarz, Germany. We scraped, glazed,
wadded and tumble stacked, watched and
listened as Nealie demonstrated everything
from throwing, making brushes, loading
the kiln to creating a fine handle for a teapot from the rushes growing in the garden.
We laughed as he demonstrated the angle
of the 'male and female' handles while also
sharing the meal planning, cooking, and
cleaning up. New friendships were made
that late summer before we departed, some
for home and some for the ferry or plane
to carry them to Denmark.
The first afternoon in the quaint coastal
village of Skaelskor could not have been
more idyllic. The sky was blue, the air was
crisp and events were planned for various
venues throughout the town. The conference officially began at mid-afternoon in
the upstairs hall of the local hotel with
talks by Anne-Mette Hjortshoz and Perry
Haas, which were followed by John Neely's
keynote on his train kiln design. After a
lively question and answer session everyone made their way to the Old Town Hall
for a reception and the exhibition and sale
Working in Ceramic Paradise, a display of
work by wood firers who had given workshops for the German Potter's Association,
above l.to r.
-A view of the firebox, Markus Böhm’s Bourry
Box kiln, Alt Gaarz, Germany
-Chester Nealie giving a demonstration at a
pre-conference workshop, Crazy Things with
Salt, at Markus Böhm’s studio, Alta Gaarz
Germany.
- View of the kiln yard, Guldagergaard
below
- A panorama of some of the 160 participants
in the 2nd European Wood Firing Conference
Skaelskor, Denmark
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GULDAGERGAARD
right t. to b.
- Post firing critique, Kiln Yard
Guldagergaard
-
Oh Hyang Jong, Kwangju, South
Korea, demonstrates the traditional
Ongii technique for making the
large fermenting jars
- Shozo Michikawa demonstrates his
energetic cutting and throwing
techniques to workshop attendees
in the downstairs studio of
Guldagergaard
Kalkspatz, over the years. Everyone
chatted and laughed, exchanged
cards and made their way across the
street to a second exhibition, Feu du
Sud-Ouest, fourteen pieces of work
by artists from Guldagergaard. Indeed, by the time we were to go to
the buffet dinner at Rod Pakhus it
seemed that the entire village had
become part of the conference!
Friday was jam-packed. Indeed,
all over the grounds of the former
farm something was happening.
Robert Sanderson gave an enlightening talk on the history of the
Bourry-Box kiln in the auditorium
while demonstrations by Shozo Michikawa, Perry Haas, Justin Lambert were taking place in the Studio
downstairs. It was difficult to make
decisions about what to attend and
what had to be left out. Many times
it was impossible and I found myself wishing that the conference had
started early on Thursday simply to
spread out the lectures. Kilns were
being fired, demonstrations continued, the contest for The Log Book
photo competition was underway
and Micki Schloessingk, Chester
Nealie and Markus Böhm discussed
ideas for creating opportunities for
apprenticeships to a packed audience in Apple House.
On Saturday morning Euan
Craig gave a very moving talk at the
Skaelskor Library on the trials and
tribulations of living in Japan after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 destroyed
his studio in Mashiko. Just listening
and reflecting on how nature can
change so many lives in an instant
made any complications with finding the key to the venue and the delay in the starting of the talk seem
trivial. After all, the sleepy village
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begged for everyone to simply 'slow
down' and let life unfold. We ate
sandwiches, examined the exhibition of objects brought by the participants and learned the difficulties
that Antra Singha had to overcome
to complete her commission Tetra.
Ben Richardson inspired everyone
with his passion and his tableware
that had reversed the fortunes of
his pottery in Tasmania. Ute Dreist,
one of the participants at the Nealie
workshop in Germany, inspired all
with the sheer determination she
exerts in her throwing and the firing of her Phoenix kiln. Coll Minogue gave an eloquent talk on the
European attitudes towards wood
firing which was followed by Priscilla Mouritzen and Sten Lykke giving the history of the wood firing
in Europe including the time when
a young Fred Olsen arrived in Denmark in the 1950s to build a wood
kiln. Demonstrations by Oh Hyang
Jong and John George Larsen enthralled viewers in the downstairs
studio. During all of this votes were
being cast for The Log Book wood
fire photographic competition. The
rain and the cold that arrived during the day and continued on in the
evening did not seem to damper
anyone's spirits.
I missed Sunday. I wish I had
been there for not only the closing
remarks but also the talk given by a
new friend, Julie Nema from Hungary. I also missed giving my talk
on Canadian wood firing because
the schedule was changed at the
last minute and I had to be in Copenhagen to catch my plane back
to Canada. I missed the announcement that the next European wood
firing conference will be held in La
Borne, France in 2018. Still, these
were simply hiccups. I look forward
to gathering once again with old
friends and new ones because, in
the end, it is the friendships forged,
the ceramic work viewed and appreciated, and the firing of the kilns
that bind all of us together as the
international community of wood
firers.
Mary Ann Steggles is Associate Director of the School of Art, University of
Manitoba where she teaches ceramics
and ceramic history. She is a maker, a
writer, and a curator of ceramic art.
53
CONFERENCE
FAIR
COLLECT
C
OLLECT 2015, the leading international art fair for contemporary objects, as it’s called officially, was held for
the twelfth time this year from May 8-11,
2015 at the Saatchi Gallery in King’s Road,
Chelsea, an affluent district in the heart of
London. The Saatchi Gallery, founded by
the well-known businessman and art collector Charles Saatchi, is a modern whitewalled exhibition space and forms the perfect venue and backdrop for this prestigious
event. Collect takes place every year only a
few weeks after Ceramic Art London, but
while CAL provides a platform for individual makers, Collect brings together international galleries covering a variety of disciplines. Spread over two floors, immaculate,
spacious stands present artists and makers
in the fields of ceramics, glass, jewellery,
precious metal, wood, textiles and furniture.
Similar to Ceramic Art London, Collect
has become a standard fixture in my calendar and it’s always a pleasure to meet again
some of my fellow ceramicists who are also
exhibiting at Collect. However, with prices
starting from £ 500, Collect addresses a
different audience, encouraging purchases
from national and international collectors
and museum collections alike. According to
the press release, the fair in 2015 received
over 12,000 visitors including curators
from 33 museums and public collections
from across the UK as well as Belgium,
Denmark, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands and Norway, with sales set to exceed
the 2014 total of £1.7 million. 14 works
were purchased for UK public museum collections, including 8 pieces acquired by the
V&A and those acquired by Crafts Council
via the new Museum Purchase Fund.
This year, 35 galleries from Europe, Asia
and North America exhibited and it was interesting to see that the proportion of Asian
galleries has risen steadily over the past
few years. Familiar names included Yufuku Gallery, Ippodo Gallery and Exhibition
Space APJ from Japan, LVS Gallery from
South Korea, the Korean Craft and Design
Foundation and Hanart TZ Gallery from
Hong Kong. New exhibitors were the Japanese Micheko Gallery based in Munich and
the Artcourt Gallery from Osaka. Also new
were Gallery Ten from Edinburgh, Fatto ad
Arte from Milan, Art Cart from Lithuania,
Widell Projects, an artist-cooperative from
54
Saatchi-Gallery London
Regina Heinz
Stockholm and Cynthia Corbett Gallery
from London. However, the main part of the
fair is formed by returning established London and European exhibitors such as Adrian Sassoon, Contemporary Applied Arts,
Joanna Bird Gallery, Sarah Myerscough
Gallery, Ruthin Craft Centre, Galerie Rosemarie Jaeger from Germany, The Gallery
at London Glassblowing, Sebastian Schildt
from Stockholm and Galeri Format from
Oslo, just to name a few. National organisations such as Ateliers d’Art from France,
Design Flanders from Belgium, the WCC-BF
Gallery, Belgium and the already mentioned
Korean Craft & Design Foundation are also
represented.
Naturally I am most interested to look
for and discover new ceramic work. The
Italian gallery Officine Saffi had beautiful
ceramic pieces on display, amongst them
works by Michael Cleff and Monika Debus.
I would also like to mention the beautifully
crafted, precise porcelain objects by Min
Soo Lee, presented by LVS Gallery from
South Korea. Although I have seen it before, my absolute favourite again this year
was work presented by Yufuku Gallery. In
particular I admired the witty and skilfully
made “dot” sculptures by Harumi Nakashima and the amazingly precise porcelain
sculptures by Sueharu Fukami. Great also
to see again Ann van Hoey, whom I met
at the International Ceramics Conclave in
Delhi in December last year. Her distinctive
group of hand-made, car paint sprayed Ferrari Pots was exhibited by Design Flanders.
My most rewarding discovery though this
year was not in ceramics but in a different
medium. To celebrate the 80th birthday of
the famous British textile artist Ann Sutton,
the contemporary art gallery Patrick Heide,
London, was asked to mount an exhibition
of her new experimental work. Drawings on
paper and relief work using plastic tubing
and fibres conceptualise the act of weaving and the playful and innovative pieces
formed a refreshing contrast to the beautiful but sometimes sleek and contrived craft
objects on show.
In order to keep Collect fresh and interesting, every year the Crafts Council organises an alternative exhibition programme,
which runs alongside the gallery exhibitions and offers an insight into new trends
and alternative approaches to making or
using craft for installation work. The Sarah
Myerscough Gallery presented 3D printed oak vessels by Gareth Neal and Zaha
Hadid and the London based designer Tord
Boontje displayed a selection of 11 chairs,
called Chairy Tales, that celebrate his exploration of chair design. Further, the rarely
seen dance piece, Sighted, by acclaimed artists Caroline Broadhead and Angela Woodhouse was performed twice each day by
dancer Stine Nilsen. This silent solo piece
is performed amongst hundreds of “shards”
of mirrored acrylic. Also on show was I Am
Here, portable art, wearable objects, author
jewellery from 1970s to now, a preview of
a Crafts Council Collections exhibition that
will launch in September. Finally, each year
under the umbrella title of Collect Open
on the second floor of the Saatchi Gallery,
individual makers have the opportunity to
present innovative work and/or large scale
installations. This year 14 artists and 4 design historians were selected by designer
Tord Bontje. The work on show included
beautiful boxes combining ceramics, glass,
metal and stone by Andrea Walsh, architectural glass installations by Kate Maestri
and large scale textile hangings by recent
graduate Rita Parniczky called X-ray Fabric Series. I was most impressed though by
the elegant large scale wall installation by
Valeria Nascimento, Christina Vezzini and
Chen Sheng Tsang. The trio, two ceramicists and one glass artist, have produced
an elegant entwining wall installation using hundreds of porcelain, bone china and
glass cups, which cascade vine-like over the
wall surface.
Collect offers a great opportunity to follow new trends in crafts and applied arts
and to see works by international makers.
With so many craft courses disappearing
from the curriculum of (European) universities one sometimes wonders about the future of craft. Events like Collect succeed in
providing much needed reassurance. Craft
or Applied Art, or in other words, the creation of beautiful objects and experiences
that address our senses and the beauty of
materials are much alive and kicking.
Regina Heinz is a ceramist and born in
Austria. Today she lives in London where
she has her studio.
regina_heinz@ceramart.net I www.ceramart.net
Photos - Regina Heinz
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
LONDON
GALLERY JOANNA BIRD_LONDON
GALLERY AT_LONDON
GALLERY SEBASTIAN SCHILDT_SWEDEN
YUFUKU GALLERY_TOKIO
FAIR
ASCIMENTO_ CHRISTINA VEZZINI_CHEN SHENG TSANG_INFINITY_Wallinstallation
ANN SUTTON_Installation
DANCER STINE NILSEN
PHOTO H. GLENDINNING
SUEHARU FUKAMI
HARUMI NAKASHIMA
EXPONATE 2015
EXHIBTION
Exhibition by local
graduates
Christoph Hasenberg
photos - Articus-Roettgen
T
his year's graduates from the Fachschule für Keramik (Ceramics Technical College) in Höhr-Grenzhausen are
presenting the results of their courses in
their graduation exhibition, Exponate
2015 (“Exhibits 2015”).
The students' work is defined by a focus
on the various ceramic core themes. .The
graduates' approach is individually creative and technically autonomous. The exhibits on shwo at this exhibition lead the
visitor into an intensive dialogue with the
whole breadth of the creative potential of
contemporary ceramics.
Whereas Grit Uhlemann and Ursula
Madré have dedicated their very different
works to the field of surface treatment, Julia Saffer has developed new possibilities
forthe making processes involved in ceramic sculpture. Ulla Litzinger and Julia
Brümmer interpret their ideas in the field
of vessel making in entirely different ways.
Nathalie Pampuch has devoted herself to
the special opportunities of production in
series for various kinds of functional ware.
- Grit Uhlemann shows landscapes in
porcelain. Nature represented here is expressed in relief surfaces with the formal
vocabulary oscillating between peaceful
forests and the ferocious seas. The surfaces resemble satellite photos without ever
reproducing them. The wafer thin slabs
prepared from paperclay are mounted in
wooden frames and backlit with LEDs, producing an expressive aesthetic: these light
objects are outstandingly suitable for individual interior design (photo below left)
- Ursula Madré's work focuses on the
theme of animals in the various facets of
their expressive forms and the impressions
that they communicate to us humans, on
the diverse range of manifestations and
life forms, and on their beauty as well as
their absurdity, as abused domestic creatures or beloved companions (photo opposite page, bottom right).
To achieve this she uses various graphic,
painterly and sculptural techniques. This
produces sculptures, groups and images
that can each be seen individually or which
create small worlds and three-dimensional
scenarios, producing a coherent and harmonious overall picture, which may make
the observer either chuckle or think.
Julia Saffer's sculptural work (above)
is made after a formal and semantic study
of enclosing, hermetic casings. During
the initial stages of searching for a form,
the existence of such shapes in nature as
pupae and cocoons plays an important
EXHIBITION
part. Integrating these principles, the artist distills body forms from this, working
from her own body. Lightness, rhythm and
continuity are important aspects for Julia
Saffer, which she allows to enter her work.
The handbuilt forms symbolise the cycle
of life to their maker, the many repetitions
and recurring processes to which we are all
subjected. With their soft, rounded forms,
these works invite us to rest upon them.
- Ulla Litzinger's work arose through
a study of forming porcelain and its expressive and material qualities, with the
experimental and unconventional interpretation being predetermined by a casting technique using cardboard moulds. The
folds of the cardboard produce crystalline
structures that reveal a nuanced diversity
of geometric forms. This making technique
has also produced fissured surfaces that in-
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
itiate an interesting interplay of light and
shade. The works have mainly not been
sanded or glazed so that the complete texture of the card and the forming process
remain visible and tangible. This approach
to surface treatment thus counteracts the
conventional image of porcelain and lends
it a new sense of value.
For Julia Brümmer, the wheel defines
the making process and her work could
be subsumed under the heading of studies in form (photo opposite page bottom
right). Her studies are based on a combination of the basic forms of cylinder, cone
and sphere. Various angles of inclination,
stretched or squeezed variations of the basic body offer countless possibilities and
combinations. The aim is to achieve a form
designed in accordance with the principles
of a formal aesthetic.
For her graduation project, this ceramist
decided on developing various tapes of lidded vessels which are not to be understood
as individual pieces but in combination
as families of forms. The interplay of the
formal contrasts thus created breathes life
into Julia Brümmer's vessels, making them
seem almost anthropomorphic. They have
liberated themselves entirely from the desire to be “needed and used”.
- Nathalie Pampuch is pursuing the aim
of giving vegan cuisine a new outward
appearance. The offbeat, creative menus
of vegan cooking are intended to be emphasised and enhanced by the innovative
design of her tableware (below left). The
design is based on a study of various fruit
and nut forms. The protective function of
the shells is used by Nathalie Pampuch as a
principle for the use of her hardpaste porcelain tableware. The double-walled bowls,
cups and plates with their dynamic edges
and sunken rims protect hot food from
cooling and prevent cold food from warming up. This means eating can take place
without haste. In addition, the tableware
is pleasant to handle due to its ergonomic
design.
Christoph Hasenberg is a ceramist and
teaches at the Ceramics Technical College in
Höhr-Grenzhausen.
The exhibition Exponate 2015 opens on
17 July 2015 at 7 p.m. at the
Keramikmuseum Westerwald in
Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany.
The exhibits subsequently go on show
at the Kammerhofmuseum in
Gmunden am Traunsee, Austria,
from 28 August 2015
57
CERAMICS & TRAVEL
Studying
in Korea
Land of Contrasts
M
y first encounter with Korea
came when I met Kang-Hyo
Lee in 1998 at the Eric Rihs
gallery and pottery in Les Emibois, Switzerland. I was doing my ceramics apprenticeship at that time and had scarcely begun to work with clay. At his exhibition,
the onggi master gave a personal demonstration of the production of onggis: in a
dance with huge coils of clay, it took only
one hour to produce a one-metre tall pot.
Of course I was very much impressed, not
only by the technique but by all the invisible things like the energy inherent in this
dance and its whole charisma.
My second encounter with Korea came
when I met Seung-Ho Yang in 2002,
where I was doing a work experience
in Switzerland and France. From him I
learned about the beauty of natural and
unsymmetrical forms and how they could
“dance”, and I also learned the proper
way to drink Korean green tea.
I had never been to Korea at that time,
but now it became my dream to discover the “The Land of the Morning Calm".
The dream of actually going there came
true in 2007 when I participated in the
2007 World Ceramic Biennale in Korea.
I couldn't read anything but somehow I
Rebecca Maeder
managed because Koreans are very helpful and greet tourists with a friendly
smile. In the countryside, you find huge
rice fields, mountains with pine trees and
twisting pathways where Buddhist temples stand by the cliffs in timeless peace;
you see tea plantations covering the hillsides and traditional houses with their
above
belwo l.
below r.
Insa-Dong, Seoul, with my father
in December 2014
Gwanak-san (629 metres amsl),
view of Seoul
graduation ceremony Korean
language course, August 2012
KOREA
above l. to r.
- our house in Jeolla-Do province
- view from Gwanak-san (629 metres amsl) over
Yeonju-dae and Seoul
- Wonhyosa Temple in April, Mudeung-san
- Yeonju-dae Hermitage on Gwanak-san
(629 metres amsl)
slightly curving roofs and their warm
floors. In the cities, tall buildings covered with neon advertising stretch up into
the sky, and down below you get caught
up in the hubbub of traffic and crowds
of people rushing in all directions. When
I returned home, I realised that Korea is
a “Land of Contrasts”, but I was not yet
aware that my heart was still there…
Autumn 2010. Between working on
porcelain balloons and the pitfired “zoophytes”, I was pondering on which direction my work should develop in. Should I
drop one of these projects? Should I just
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
concentrate on one material? Right at this
time, I was awarded the NASPA Prize for
emerging artists, which took the form of
a bursary. This made up my mind that
I should continue my training in more
depth. My choice of the country where
I would go on with my studies fell of
course on Korea, a country whose ceramic
history is deeply rooted in the people and
it is also my husband's home country.
December 2010. Arrival in Seoul. So
that I could make myself at home and
gain the maximum benefit from my stay,
I started to learn Korean. I found my self
back on the school bench with a packed
timetable in my hands, and right from the
start I had to forgo working with clay. My
classmates and teachers changed from
level to level. There were six levels, each
lasting ten weeks. That is easy to work
out: after 60 weeks enriched with a large
number of meetings, it should be possi-
CERAMICS & TRAVEL
ble to speak advanced Korean! I had not
planned to learn Korean in such depth,
but through the Korean Government
Scholarship, which I received from September 2011, I became involved in the
three-year scholarship programme and
was able to take the remaining four language learning levels. I was initially delighted to learn Korean up to advanced
level, but as a European, you are only
at the beginning after completing the
first six levels! You try to recognise and
use the words or phrases that you have
learned in order to make yourself understood. And then you suddenly realise
that you cannot speak any better than a
four-year-old apart from a few specialist
terms. So there I was at 33 years of age
stuck in the skin of a baby that was eager to discover its surroundings but making all the mistakes that it is supposed to
make: it is not part of the Korean's make
59
CERAMICS & TRAVEL
above l. to r.
- kiln room, Seoul National University
- glaze room, Seoul National University
- Rebecca Maeder
- , 2014, porcelain, Ø 75 cm
- kiln room, Seoul National University
60
up to anticipate what the newcomer
is about to do or to warn them what
might happen. Which of course has
its attraction and its point because
you learn much better to sense things
and not to rush into anything. You
try not to act prematurely, you just let
it happen as it is supposed to, quite
naturally.
By learning the language, I found
out more and more about Korean
culture, and kept finding out unknown differences to my own culture.
Through the distance to Switzerland,
I found out all sorts of things about
my home country. All the positive
and negative things about both countries became all the clearer because of
the contrast, so in the end I valued
one country because I am familiar
with the other and vice versa.
Autumn 2012. Professor Kap-Sun
Hwang had convinced me on his
guided tour of the university: focus
on porcelain, wonderful glazes, spacious facilities and a good infrastructure. He was not able to see how my
work would continue to develop but I
was confident that through our meeting it would find a clear direction.
And so I started on my M.A. Course
at Seoul National University. Korean
culture, which was always new to me,
completely new surroundings and
new materials… So many unknowns,
which on the one hand were very
attractive but on the other required
some getting used to.
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
KOREA
CERAMICS & TRAVEL
left
- Un autre monde, 2014, porcelain
Ø 10 cm und Ø 8 cm, Rebecca Maeder
below
- Yin & yang, 2014, porcelain, h 20 cm
Rebecca Maeder
March 2015. Back in Switzerland. I had
brought back most of the pieces I had finished on my M.A. course. I can now show
them in galleries and follow a pathway
that I would never have set out on without the experience of studying abroad. I
feel like I am facing a new beginning but
with more experience behind me. I am
gradually processing what I experienced
so rapidly and intensively in Korea.
To familiarise myself with my surroundings and to discover the new possibilities that offered themselves to me, I
started by making a few plaster moulds.
I suddenly found myself making rectangular forms, whereas I had previously
only made rounded ones. Perhaps it was
the influence of the buildings in Seoul,
mostly huge parallelotopes reaching up
into the sky… And thus my work had taken a new direction only a few days after
I had begun to work with clay again. It
was the influence of my completely new
surroundings that had motivated me to
begun studying again abroad. Simplicity,
flawlessness and a sense of the simple,
unadorned, pure are the ancient aesthetic
criteria that can be found in the traditional ceramics of Korea. Whilst I continued
with my experiments, I also watched what
the other students were doing. In almost
every room there were pieces of work in
porcelain, usually functional tableware,
thrown, slipcast, handbuilt, all of the work
had the typical simplicity of form, quality
of finish and a velvety smooth surface,
either from being sanded smooth or being
coated with a silky glaze. Although I continued to make sculptural objects, I immersed myself in the new surroundings,
which increasingly began to make their
mark on me. And then there were the theory courses. Although at M.A. level, there
were not many of them, they were a huge
challenge for me because I had to concentrate very hard to catch at least the most
important words. If I had understood
something and wanted to say something
on the topic, my possibilities were very
restricted because of a lack of vocabulary.
I had no alternative but to watch and to
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
pick up as much as I could everywhere
and then to try and reconstruct a halfway
plausible dialogue. Sometimes it was very
frustrating, but in this way I learned to
concentrate on the essentials, which were
also taught to me in very focused fashion
in personal conversations. So having a
command of a few words was enough to
guide my work in the right direction and
to continue to follow my own course. At
least, that was what was available to me.
Another typically Korean influence was
the rhythm of work. There is no weekend
in the sense of work-free days. No, students are at the university from Mondays
to Sundays, from morning to evening,
sometimes even all night, from 1 January until 31 December with the exception
of national holidays! Some people have
called me a workaholic here, but I was
nothing out of the ordinary there!
I am a natural early riser and I set off
for the university at the crack of dawn
because that was the only time I was
alone and could work in peace. The silence that surrounded me and working
in high-energy daylight was then blown
away when the first student arrived with
a greeting of brilliant white neon light.
I soon realised that my adaptability had
limits. But since to adapt does not mean
to change, I learned to accept things the
way they were; things that disturbed me
or which were unaccustomed ultimately
became meaningless. But this took a long
time. It took just as long until I could discover any charm in the city of Seoul; the
idea of an old town or cultural heritage
does not exist in a country that has seen
its fair share of invasions and wars where
more or less everything was destroyed.
But something in me has changed. The
eyes through which I see Switzerland cannot forget the tightly packed skyscrapers.
This country full of contrasts where tradition and modernity enter into a strange
harmony is still in my mind's eye. The
Switzerland where I now am is no longer
the same… and it will never be what it
was to me four years ago.
Rebecca Maeder is a ceramist and lives and
works in Switzerland and in Korea.
www.rebeccamaeder.ch
info@rebeccamaeder.ch
61
INTERVIEW
In Studio with Simcha
Even-Chen
Simcha is multi-talented: she is a ceramist and a scientist, she judges competitions and gives
workshops, she exhibits periodically and she is also a mother and grandmother. Is that why
she makes Balance in Motion so effortlessly?
Evelyne Schoenmann
S
imcha, like many other ceramists,
you only found your way to ceramics after first pursuing a different career.
You were a scientist and you used to work
in parallel in both professional fields. How
did you manage to bring science and art
together?
Parallel to my postdoctoral position
at the Hebrew University Medical School
in Jerusalem, I started to attend evening
classes to learn more about the craft of ceramics. But back then, I would never have
imagined that ceramics would one day
be my second career, even my principle
occupation. Working in both worlds for
years was becoming increasingly difficult
though. It was hard work: science all day
and ceramics in the evenings and at week-
a place where three monotheistic religions
have met for over a thousand years?
The fact that I live in a geographical
nucleus of three monotheistic religions
has no influence on my work whatsoever.
My pieces are autonomous objects that
are independent of history. They are not
functional, serve no practical purpose; you
can merely look at them attentively and
ponder on the solution to the problem of
space, form and aesthetics.
ends. But at that time, I was not prepared
to give up either. Eighteen months ago, the
Hebrew University offered me the opportunity to run a new biotech start-up. This
was very flattering, of course. But it would
have meant giving up ceramics entirely. So
I decided to follow my heart, to quit my
job at the University after 22 years and to
devote myself entirely to ceramics.
harmony of the connections between precise architectural elements with complex
surface treatments and colour. It is possible to produce perfect objects that are both
aesthetically appealing and intellectually
stimulating. From 2006 – 2010, most of my
works had a closed, cubic form. In time,
they developed a softer, more sculptural
exterior. All of my work deals with the
theme of tension and balance on various
levels:
1.
Physical balance
How strongly does the geographical nucleus where you live influence your work –
62
The viewer, is burning to touch your
works, to trace the outline with their finger.
How did you develop the fascinating forms
of your sculptures? Is there something in
common between form and harmony?
I have always been fascinated by the
2. Tension between intentional and
random pattern
3.
Ordered and amorphous patterns
4.
Mobile and rigid
5.
Planned and unforeseeable
Each of these themes produces different
degrees of balance.
In 2011, I began to do Pilates exercises,
a physical fitness system about mobility
and the flow of energy in the body. From
this point, I began to add the element of
movement to the already present balance
of my objects. This represented the birth of
a number of more open, extensive movements that are more in flux, and it enabled me to extend the diversity of pictorial
forms. My intentional departure from preexisting approaches to forming opened the
door to an abundance of dynamic, floating configurations.
Rigid, level planes are rare in your
work. Everything is in flux, is balanced,
full of energy. You can sense a rhythm,
like in a song. When you start a new
work, do you already have a concept of
what the sculpture should finally look like
or do you allow spontaneous intuitions
surprise you?
Since 2011, I have been working on
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
INTERVIEW
the relationship between “free” threedimensional space and open, twisted
two-dimensional geometric surface: in
this way, I give the piece a visual meaning without limiting its movement. The
sculptures sound out the possibilities
and limits of the material and its natural
properties. They go to the point where
clay threatens to collapse. They thus
pose the fundamental question of where
and how the chosen structure needs to
be supported to protect the object as a
whole from falling or collapsing. This
collapse of the structure that threatens
throughout the making process is subsequently, inevitably still visible in the finished object. Most of my works consist
of several individual objects. Generally,
I have an idea of what the finished piece
should look like when I start work. But
because of the way I form my objects, I
can only really see what the composition
of the finished object will look like after
the bisque firing. It may happen that I
alter my original idea while I am working. I can play with my works like with
Lego: by creating new combinations of
the individual components, I can create
entirely new works.
tube-shaped and can be bent to the desired shape. To create uplift, I support individual areas with sponges. I then brush
on three coats of slip in the same clay
(the grog has been sieved out) and wait
until the slip is dry. Then I burnish the
piece with a spoon. After burnishing, I
leave it until it is leatherhard and spray
on three thin coats of terra sigillata. The
piece is bisque fired to 1,000°C. Up to this
point, the piece has always been lying
on its side. Only after the first firing can
I stand it upright and test the balance.
If everything is to my satisfaction, I can
begin to plan the design. In our example, I have chosen a grid pattern for the
inside. The outside is to be black. With
a pencil and graph paper, I now draw
a grid on the inside of the bisque fired
object and stick 0.5 mm black masking
tape on the lines. The exterior is then
completely covered with wider masking
tape. The whole sculpture is then covered with a protective coating. This creates a “gap” between the clay and the
glaze that is to be applied afterwards
and prevents the clay combining with
the glaze. Finally, I apply a coat of raku
glaze. When it is dry, I carefully remove
crackle patterns form on the surface. After cooling I peel off the glaze, wash off
the protective layer and leave the object
to dry thoroughly. Finally, I apply a thin
layer of wax to make a smooth surface.
In the photos, we see you working on
the piece: "Balance in Motion". Could you
explain the individual steps?
This sculpture was made originally
from one slab of clay. I used a mixture
of stoneware and porcelain for it. I first
smooth the surface of the slab, which is
around 150 cm in length, and then I cut
it to the length I want. After that I roll
the slab on a cylinder covered with paper, which is then carefully removed after
a suitably drying time. The slab is now
all the black masking tape from the
sculpture. The areas without glaze thus
created will turn black in the post firing
reduction. The firing then takes place in
a raku kiln to 980°C. When the desired
temperature has been reached, I take the
red-hot object from the kiln and place it
in a smoke chamber to carbonise; it is
filled with hardwood sawdust. Now the
areas without glaze and the cracks that I
wanted to develop turn black deep into
the clay body. This is how the irregular,
Simcha Even-Chen
27/12 Aharoni Street, Rehovot 76281, ISRAEL
Tel.+972 52 3904734
evenchen@actcom.co.il
www.simcha-evenchen.com
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
The black-white-grey colour scheme of
your works predominates and is very intense.
Are you planning to stick with this scheme
or will we see coloured objects in future?
The black-white-grey colour scheme
comes from the naked raku technique and
allows me to implement my ideas best.
To introduce other colours here would
distract the viewer from the main idea, I
believe. So to answer your question: No,
I see no reason to introduce colour. But
that does not mean I will not use colour
for other new projects.
What are your plans for the future?
Monika Gass from Keramikmuseum
Westerwald has invited me to arrange
a solo exhibition in spring 2016. This is
the most significant project to date. Next
year, I will be travelling to Turkey and to
Latvia for a symposia. Another symposium on raku is planned for 2016 in Arizona, where I will be giving workshops.
Evelyne Schoenmann's next interview will
be with Marc Leuthold, USA
Evelyne Schoenmann is a ceramist. She
lives and works in Basel, Switzerland, and
Liguria, Italy
www.schoenmann-ceramics.ch
63
DATES
EXHIBITIONS / GALLERIES / MUSEUMS
: special exhibition
| V: vernissage | Fi: finissage |  end of the exhibition
Copy date for entries:
01 August 2015
Stille Kraft & Powerdrink:
KERAMIK
UND
TEE
Amsterdam
NL-1017 KH Gallery Carla Koch
Veemkade 500. Detroit Building, 6th floor T: +31-20-67 37 310 www.carlakoch.nl
ckoch@xs4all.nl O: Tue - Sat 12-18h, 1 Sun in the month 14-18h by appointment *A
Berlin D-10585 Keramik-Museum Berlin Schustehrusstraße 13, O: Fri - Mon 13 - 17h www.keramik-museum-berlin.de
: Ausgewählte Werke. Objekte der Internationalen Keramik-Symposien in
V-oglje/Slowenien -  10.08.
Galerie Workshop Fasanenstraße 11 T: +49-(0)30-3122567
O: Mon - Fri 10 - 19h, Sat 10 - 16h
info@wohnen-und-kunst.de www.wohnen-und-kunst.de
Permanent exhibition of glass and ceramics, textil and juwelery
D-10623
klassische Teeschalen und
deren kreative Variationen
Gastausstellung:
Koreanische
Teekeramik
Zentrum für Keramik - Berlin Pestalozzistraße 18
T: +49-(0)30-499 02 591 O: Tue - Fri 14 - 17h *A www.ceramics-berlin.de
D-13187
D-10117 Galerie Arcanum - Charlottenstraße 34
T: +49-(0)30-33 02 80 95 galeriearcanum@aol.com
: Peter Strang-Porzellan -  17.07.
6. Juni 2015 – 5. Juli 2015
Keramikmuseum Westerwald
Galerie Forum Amalienpark - Berlin-Pankow Breite Straße 2a
T: +49-(0)30-20 45 81 66 O: Tue - Fri 14 - 17h www.amalienpark.de info@mhkeramik.de
D-13187
Höhr-Grenzhausen
Bonstetten CH-8906
GG - GALERIE FÜR GEGENWARTSKUNST
Elfi Bohrer. Im Dorfzentrum Burgwies 2 T: +41-(0)1-7003210. F: -7011027
galerie@ggbohrer.ch www.ggbohrer.ch O: Tue - Fri 14 - 18, Sat + Sun 13 - 17h *A
: Heidi Spring - Objekte  12.07.
: Gabriela Hagner, Brigitta Gabban - Malerei, Zeichnung  12.07.
: Camille Hagner, Richard Jurtisch, Rebecca Maeder - Malerei, Objekte in Ton - 29.08. - 04.10.
Bozen I-39100 TonHaus
Rauschertorgasse 28 T+F: +39-(0)471-976681
O: Mon - Fri 9 - 12.30, 15 - 18, Sat 9 - 12.30h info@tonhaus.it www.tonhaus.it
Ständige Präsentation von Keramik aus verschiedenen Werkstätten
Folgeausstellung - Keramiekcentrum Tiendschuur Tegelen
15. Januar 2016 - 22. Mai 2016
Filderstadt D-79794
Städtische Galerie Filderstadt
Bonländer Hauptstraße 32/1. O: Thu 10 - 12.30h, Fri + 15 - 18h, Sat 11 - 17h
: Bernd Fischer - Faltungen -  26.07.
Frankfurt/Main
Kohlhökerstraße 17 T: +49 (0)421-23 26 44 00 www.focke-museum.de
D-60594 Museum für Angewandte Kunst
Schaumainkai T: +49 (0)69-21234037 O: Tue + Thu to Sun 10 - 18h, Wed 10 - 20h
www.museumangewandtekunst.de
Brüssel
Frechen D-50226 Stiftung Keramion - Zentrum für moderne + historische Keramik
Bremen D-28203
JO GROSS Galerie
B-1050 Puls Contemporary Ceramics
Edelknaapstraat 19 rue du Page (Châtelain)
T: +32-26 40 26 55 www.pulsceramics.com mail@pulsceramics.com O: Wed- Sat 13 - 18h
: Turi Heiseelberg Pedersen und Skov Madsen  11.07.
Bonnstraße 12 T: +49 (0)2234-6976-90 F: -920 O: Tue - Fri 10 - 17, Sa 14 - 17 h
: "Ist Porzellan auch Keramik" -  10.01.2016
Freiburg
Keramik-Museum Bürgel Am Kirchplatz 2 T: +49-(0)36692-37333.
F: -37334 post@keramik-museum-buergel.de www.keramik-museum-buergel.de
D-79098 GALERIE FREDERIK BOLLHORST
Oberlinden 25 T: +49-(0)151-15776033 O: Mon - Fri 10.30 - 13h, 14.30 - 18.30h
Sa 10.30 - 16h www.galerie-bollhorst.de info@galerie-bollhorst.de
Bukarest
D-79098
Bürgel D-07616
RO 010094 Galerie GALATEEA Keramik • Zeitgenössische Kunst
Calea Victoriei 132 T: +40 (0)21 - 317 38 14. galeriagalateea@yahoo.com
http://galeriagalateea.blogspot.com/ O: Tue - Fri 12 - 20h, Sat 11 - 19h Permanent Exhibition
Deidesheim 67146 Archiv-Atelier-Ausstellung
Stadtmauergasse 17
T: +49 (0)6326-1222 www.lottereimers.de O: daily 14 - 18h
: Archiv-Atelier-Ausstellung - 5.-27.09 - Fi: 05.09, 16h
Düsseldorf
D-40213
Hetjens-Museum Schulstrasse 4 T: +49-(0)211-8994210 O: Tue-Sun 11-17, Wed 11-21h
www.duesseldorf.de/hetjens
: CHINA CONTEMPORARY -  08.11.
Duingen
D-31089
Töpfermuseum Duingen
Töpferstraße 8
T: +49-(0)170-7069219 O: Wed 15 17h, Sun 14-18h www.toepfermuseum-duingen.de
: Sybille Abel-Kremer - 30.8.2015
Eckernförde
D-24340 Museum Eckernförde
Rathausmarkt 8 T: +49-(0)4351-712547 O: Tue - Sat 14.30 - 17h, Sun 11 - 17h
On holidays 14.30 - 17h www.eckernfoerde.net museum-eckernfoerde@gmx.de
64
Augustinermuseum - Augustinerplatz
T: +49-(0)761-201-2531 augustinermuseu@stadt.freiburg www.freiburg.de/museen
: Horst Kerstan - Keramik der Moderne  04.10.
Gelsenkirchen D-45894
Galerie Jutta Idelmann - Cranger Straße 36
T: +49-(0)209-595905 www.idelmann.eu
info@idelmann.eu O: Do + Fr 16 - 19 u. Sa 14 - 16h *A
Genf CH-1202 Musée Ariana - Musée suisse
de la céramique et du verre
Avenue de la Paix 10
T: +41-(0)2241854-55 F: - 51 O: Tue - Sun 10 -18h www.ville-ge.ch/ariana; ariana@ville-ge.ch
: "Luxury, Peace and Pleasure" - Swissceramics Competition -  01.11.
: "Harmony in Glass" Anna Dickinson -  01.11. Gmunden A-4810 Galerie im K.-Hof, Kammerhof Museum Gmunden
O: Wed- Sun 10 - 17h first Wed. in the month 10 - 21h
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
O: opening time | T: Telephone | F: Fax | *A and by appointment
DATES
EXHIBITIONS / GALLERIES / MUSEUMS
HOrst Kerstan
Keramik der Moderne
20. Juni bis 4. Oktober
www.freiburg.de/museen
150521_MUFR_AZ_Neue_Keramik_190x124_4c_RZ.indd 1
Göttingen D-37075 Galerie Rosenhauer
Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 34 T: +49-(0)551-2052100 F: 0551-25421
www.galerie-rosenhauer.de O: (during exhibitions) Wed, Fri, Sat 15.30 - 18.30
Sun 11.30 - 13 + 15 - 18h
Hameln D-31785 Keramikgalerie Faita
Alte Marktstraße 45 T: +49-(0)5151-959133 F: -821294
www.keramik-galerie-faita.de galerie-faita@t-online.de
O: Mon - Fri 10 - 13 u. 15 - 18, Sat 10 - 16h *A
: "Sommerbrand" - Beatrijs van Reeden, Ina Otto,
Sabine Martin, Ule Ewelt sowie Künstler der Galerie  22.08.
Hannover
D-30175 Handwerksform Hannover Berliner Allee 17 T: +49-(0)511-34859 F: -88 www.hwk-hannover.de O: Tue - Fri 11 - 18, Sat 11 - 14h
Heidelberg D-69117
Galerie Marianne Heller
Fried­rich-Ebert-Anlage 2
Am Stadtgarten T: +49-(0)6221-619090
info@galerie-heller.de www.galerie-heller.de O:
O: Tue - Fri 11 - 13 a. 14 - 18h, Sat 11 - 18h
: Thomas Bohle (Vorstellung der Monographie über das Werk) in Kooperation mit
Arnoldsche Art Publisher & "Bekanntes - Aktuell" - Internationale Keramik;
Accrochage -  26.07.
: Marc Leuthold (USA) Professor an der State University New York, Vortrag und
Präsentation der eigenen Arbeit - 26.07.
: "Zwischen Prag und Budweis" - Pavel Drda, Elzbieta Grosseová, Ji í Lastovi ka,
Tomás Proll, Eva Slaviková & Gast; Tschechien - 11.10. - 22.11.
Herbertingen-Marbach D-88518
moosgrün - raum für zeitgenössische Keramik - Moosheimerstraße 11/1
T: +49-(0)7586-5378 moosgruen.marbach@gmx.de O: Tue - Fri 16 - 19h, Sat 10 - 16h
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS Hirschburg D-18311 Black Box Galerie
22.05.15 13:54
Zum Wallbach 15
T: +49 (0)1623 3766 757, O: Tue - Sat 11-17h www.kunsthof-hirschburg.de
: Lotte Buch / Keramische Objekte und Christin Wilcken / Malerei - 22.08.-31.10.
: Podiumsgespräch zum Thema Improvisation mit beiden Künstlerinnen und dem
Jazzmusiker Philipp Rückert, Jazzkonzert mit P. Rückert Quartett - 26.09., 17h
Hohenberg
a.d.Eger D-95691 Porzellanikon - Staatliches Museum für Porzellan Hohenberg a.d. Eger/Selb
Schirndinger Straße 48 T: +49 (0)9233 772211 O: Tue - Sun 10-17h
www.porzellanikon.org info@porzellanikon.org
Höhr-Grenzhausen D-56203
Keramikmuseum Westerwald Lindenstraße 13
T: +49-(0)2624-9460-10 F: -120 O: Tue - Sun 10 - 17h *A
www.keramikmuseum.de kontakt@keramikmuseum.de
: Wettbewerb und Ausstellung "Stille Kraft und Powerdrink", Keramik und Tee, die klassische Teeschale und deren kreative Variation - 05.07.
: "EXPONATE 2015" - Absolventen und Absolventinnen der Fachschule
für Keramik - 17.07. - 23.08., V: 17.07., 19h D-56203
KASINO – KERAMIKKULTUR
Galerie – Laden – Werkstatt – Café
Werkstatt + Ausstellung
Sandra Nitz - Nicole Thoss Kasinostrasse 7 T: +49 2624 94 16 99 0
O: Tue - Fri 14 – 18h Sat 10 - 18h Sun 11 - 18h www.kultur-kasino.de
Gallery-Guests: Vladimir Groh & Yasuyo Nishida (Porzellan), Milan Pekar (Kristallglasur), Nela Trésková (Porzellan), Markéta Drzmisková (Porzellan), Lenka Sérová Maliská
(Porzellan), Anna Polanská (Glas), Lada Semecká (Glas)
Shop-Guests: Juliane Herden, Judith Radl, Nika Stupica, Martin Möhwald, Elke Sada,
Cornelius Reer, Susanne Petzold, Jutta Becker, Clarissa Capelle
: SOMMERGÄSTE - Porzellan und Glas aus Tschechien - 27.07. - 25.10.
V: 26.07., 14:30h
65
8
EXHIBITIONS / GALLERIES / MUSEUMS
DATES
ème
Festival de
Sculpture
Céramique
Contemporaine
05/07
20/08
2015
: special exhibition
| V: vernissage | Fi: finissage |  end of the exhibition
Langerwehe D-52379
Töpfereimuseum Langerwehe
Pastoratsweg 1
T: +49-(0)2423–44 46 F: -59 90. O: Fri 10 - 13 u. 14 - 18h, Sat 12 - 17h,
Sun + holidays 11 - 18h www.toepfereimuseum.de info@toepfereimuseum.de : neu gemacht - neu gedacht. keramikerinnung nordrhein 22 Mitglieder stellen aus -  23.08.
: Sommerferienprogramm in der Kreativwerkstatt -  11.08.
: "Auf dem Wege"- Grenzgänge der Kunst. Künstlerinnen der GEDOK Bonn. Zu Gast:
Ekaterina Ominina, Keramikerin aus St.Petersburg - 03.10.2015 - 13.03.2016
Le Don du Fel
F-12140 GALERIE DU DON - 12140 Le Fel
T: +33 05 65 54 15 15 www.ledondufel.com
: "LA DICTÉE DES PROCÉDÉS" - Ann van Hoey (B), Arnold Annen (CH),
Seigo Kaneyuki (J), Mieke Everaet (B), Michal Fargo (IL) -  02.07.
: "8ème FESTIVAL DE SCULPTURE CÉRAMIQUE EUROPÉENNE" - Akiko Hirai, Yoshimi
Futamura, Setseko Nagasawa, Chieko Katsumata, Masamichi Yoshikawa,
Takeshi Yasuda - 05.07. - 20.08.
Leipzig D-04103 Grassi­museum Museum für Angewandte Kunst
Johannisplatz 5-11 T: +49-(0)341-22 29 100 www.grassimuseum.de
O: Tue - Sun 10 - 18, Wed + Thu 10 - 20h
: EXOTIK / VERFÜHRUNG / GLAMOUR - Die Weltmarke Goldschneider -  11.10.
Keramikgalerie terra rossa Roßplatz 12
T/F: +49-(0)341-9904399 O: Mon - Fri 10 - 18, Sat 11 - 15h
postbox@terra-rossa-leipzig.de www.terra-rossa-leipzig.de
D-04103
GALERIE
DU DON
Margraten
NL-6269 VE Galerie & Atelier - Groot Welsden 48 T: +31-43-4582751
F: -4583029 O: Wed, Sat + Sun 13 - 17h *A www.keramiek-grootwelsden.nl
CÉRAMIQUE
München
C ONT EMPORAINE
GALERIE DU DON, 12140 LE FEL, FRANCE www.ledondufel.com
Johannesberg D-63867
GALERIE
Galerie Metzger
Hauptstraße 18 T: +49-(0)6021-460224
O: Wed 15 - 19, Sat 15 - 17 Sun 11 - 17h
open only during exhibitions *A info@galerie-metzger.de www.galerie-metzger.de
: "Gebrannte Farben" - Ute Brade
Helmut Massenkeil, Johannes Nagel
Jean-Francois Thiérion, Masamishi Yoshikawa -  05.07.
METZGER
Karlsruhe
D-76131 Staatliche Majolika Manufaktur Karlsruhe GmbH Ahaweg 6-8 T: +49-(0)721-91 237 70 O: Mon - Fri 8 - 16h
Kellinghusen
Museum Kellinghusen - Hauptstraße 18
T: +49-(0)4822-3762-10 F: -15 O: Thu - Sun 14 - 17h *A
museum@buergerhaus-kellinghusen.de
: "Cathy Fleckstein - Im Laufe der Zeit - Au fil du temps" -  06.09.
Köln
D-25548
D-50667
Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln
An der Rechtschule
T: +49-(0)221-221 23860
O: Tue - Sun 11 - 17h, 1. Thu in the month 11 - 22h
makk@stadt-koeln.de www.makk.de
Kopenhagen
Landshut
DK-2000 Fredericsberg
Fachschule für Keramik
Marienplatz 8, T: +49-(0)871-922388-0, O: dayly 10 - 16h
: Abschlussausstellung der Absolventinnen und Absolventen der Staatlichen
Meisterschule für Keramik und Design, Staatlichen Berufsfachschule und Berufs
schule III für Keramik in der Fachschule für Keramik Landshut -  26.07.
66
84028 Staatliche
COPENHAGEN CERAMICS - Smallegade 48
D-80333 Galerie für Angewandte Kunst
Pacellistraße 6-8 T: +49-(0)89-290147-0 www.kunsthandwerk-bkv.de O: Mon - Sat 10 - 18h
Galerie Handwerk
Max-Joseph-Straße 4 T: +49-(0)89-5119296 O: Tue, Wed, Fri 10 - 18h, Thu 10 - 20h,
Sat 10 - 13h closed at holidays www.hwk-muenchen.fr/galerie
: "Das kleine Paradies" - Objekte für Garten, Terrasse und Balkon -  27.07.
D-80333
Münster
D-48163 Kunsthaus Kannen
Alexianerweg 9 T: +49-(0)2501-966 20 560 www.kunsthaus-kannen.de
kunsthaus-kannen@alexianer.de O: Tue - Sun 13 - 17h Raeren
B-4730 Töpfereimuseum Raeren Bergstraße 103 T: +32-(0)87-850 903 O: Tue - Sun 10 - 17h
www.toepfereimuseum.org - Ausstellung im Haus Zahlepohl gegenüber der Burg
Römhild D-98631 Schloss Glücksburg
Griebelstraße 28 T: +49-(0)36948-80140 F: -88122 O: Tue - Fri 10 - 12 + 13 - 16h,
Sat + Sun 13 - 17h museum.schlossgluecksburg@t-online.de
Rostock D-18055 Galerie Klosterformat
Klosterhof 5 T: +49-(0)381-5108577 F: -510 85 90 O: Tue - Sat 11 - 18 h
info@klosterformat.de www.klosterformat.de
: "Sommer-TRIO XII" - Pauline Ullrich, Plastik - Rosemarie Ullrich, Schmuck Klaus Ullrich, Malerei -  19.09.
: "KUNST-FORMATE" - 18. Kunsthandwerkermarkt / Rostock - 21. + 22.08.
Rödental
D-18055 Europäisches Museum für Modernes Glas Schloss Roseau
O: daily 9:30 - 13h and 13:30 - 17h
Sarreguemines
F-57200
Musée de la Faience 15/17 rue Poincaré
GALERIE KLOSTERFORMAT
J.Lamberz, Klosterhof 5, 18055 Rostock
(0049)381 5108577 / info@klosterformat.de
www.klosterformat.de
Sommer-TRIO XII
Pauline Ullrich-Rosemarie-Ullrich-Klaus Ullrich
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
O: opening time | T: Telephone | F: Fax | *A and by appointment
DATES
EXHIBITIONS / GALLERIES / MUSEUMS
Schleswig
D-74837 Schloss Gottorf - Schlossinsel 1
T: +49-(0)4621-813222 info@schloss-gottorf.de www.schloss-gottorf.de
Stuttgart
D-70176 Kunst im Hinterhaus Breitscheidstraße 131 A www.kunst-im-hinterhaus.de T: +49-(0)711 - 695649
St. Wendel
66606 Galerie-Atelier No4
Nik. Obertreis Straße 4 T/F: +49 (0)49151-414 083 83
O: Tue - Sat 14 - 19h www.barbaraluetjens.de
: Keramik: Beate Thiesmeyer - " figurativ"
eine Welt von innen
neue Objekte für drinnen und draußen.
Keramik: Michael Sälzer- Spuren von Händen und Feuer archaisch salzglasierte Gefäßobjekte aus dem Holzofen.
Malerei: Barbara Lütjens - Sommerleuchten - neue großformatige Bilder in Acyl
04.07. - 01.08.
Visitenkarte_BL_A_No4_RZSonderfarbe.indd 1
18.07.14 19:51
Solothurn
CH-4500 Galerie Christoph Abbühl und Kunstforum Solothurn
Schaalgasse 9 T/F: +41-(0)32 621 38 58 O: Thu + Fri 15 - 19h, Sat 14 - 17h *A : Claudi Casanovas -  11.07.
: Takashi Suzuki - Rot, Blau und Licht - in der Galerie Christoph Abbühl
Simon Horn - Gebaute Räume in der Galerie Kunstforum Solothurn  11.07.
NL-5932 AG Keramikcentrum Tiendschuur Tegelen
Pottenbakkersmuseum. Kasteellaan 8 T: +31-(0)77-3260213 F: -3260214
O: Tue - Sun 14 - 17h www.tiendschuur.net tiendschuurtegelen@zonnet.nl
Visitenkarte_BL_A_No4_RZSonderfarbe.indd 1
18.07.14 19:51
Tegelen
Thurnau
D-95349 Töpfermuseum Thurnau Kirchplatz 12
www.toepfermuseum-thurnau.de toepfermuseum-thurnau@t-online.de
O: April-Sept.: Tue - Fri 14 - 17h, Sat, Sun and holidays 11-17h, October - 6.January
and March: Sat 13 - 16h, Sun and holidays 11-18h
Trebsen
D-04687 Galerie Schloß Altenhain Neuweißenborner Straße 20
www.schloss-altenhain.de/galerie
Velten
D-16727
Ofen- und Keramikmuseum Velten
Wilhelmstraße 32 T: +49-(0)3304-31760
F: -505887. www.ofenmuseum-velten.de info@ofenmuseum-velten.de
O: Tue - Fri 11 - 17, Sat + Sun 13 - 17h
Waldkirch D-79183 Elztalmuseum
grassi
Kirchplatz 14, T: +49-(0)7681 / 47 85 30, - 2 55 62, www.elztalmuseum.de
info@elztalmuseum.de O: Tue - Sat 15 - 17h, Sun 11 - 17h
Weiden/Oberpf.
D-92637 Internationales Keramik-Museum
Zweigmuseum der Neuen Sammlung München, Luitpoldstraße 25 T: +49 (0)961-32020
O: Tue - Sun 10 - 12.30 + 14 - 16,30 *A www.die-neue-sammlung.de keramikmuseum@die-neue-sammlung.de Permanent: Highlights of world ceramics from the museums
in Bavaria + contributions from the porcelain industry in Weiden
Schwäbisch Gmünd D-73525
Labor im Chor - Galerie und Forum für Angewandte Kunst Im Prediger, Eingang Bocksgasse T: +49-(0)175 889 4175 www.labor-im-chor.de
O: Wed 10-17h, Thu 13-17h, Sat 10-14h, Sun 14-17h
Selb
D-95100 Porzellanikon Selb Staatliches Museum für Porzellan Hohenberg a.d. Eger/Selb
Werner-Schürer-Platz 1 T: +49-(0)9287-9180-00 F: -30 info@porzellanikon.org
www.porzellanikon.org O: Tue - Sun 10 - 17h : "Ceramics and its Dimension" - European cultural Lifestyle in ceramics
01.08. - 15.11. V: 31.07., 18h
Staufen
D-79219 Keramikmuseum Staufen Wettelbrunnerstraße 3 O: Wed - Sat 14 - 17h, Sun 11 - 13 and 14 - 17h and 14 - 17h
and 14 - 17h www.keramikmuseum-staufen.de : Beate Pfefferkorn -  16.08.
: EDITION 2015 - Keramik aus Baden-Württemberg - 05.07. - 30.11.
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS Westerstede
D-26655
Galerie Belinda Berger Mühlenbrink 17 T: +49-(0)4488-525391 F: -525392
www.belindaberger.de O: Sat + Sun 16 - 18h *A
Permanent exhibition of gallery artists
Winterthur
CH-8400 Atelier-Galerie raku-art Evi Kienast Tösstalstraße 14 O: Thu - Fri 14 - 18h, Sat 11 - 15h
Contact und Infos: www.raku-art.ch
Winzer/Flintsbach D-94577 Ziegel + Kalk Museum
Museumstraße 2 12. T: +49 (0)9901-9357-0
O: 1st + 2nd Saturday in month & Sun- and Holidays 13 - 17 h
For further events see page 68
For advertisement please contact
anzeigen@neue-keramik.de
67
ADVERTISEMENTS
13th edition
8th & 9th of August, 2015
1
68
NEW CERAMICS
JULY / AUGUST 2015
ADVERTISEMENTS
NK 90x260_Mise en page 1 01/04/2015 09:33 Page 1
c.r.e.t.a. rome
ceramics residencies exhibi.ons teaching & the arts 2015 NCECA InternaIonal Residency Award APPLY NOW!! NEW workshops
christina west, molly hatch,
gerit grimm, jeff shapiro,
kevin snipes, justin novak,
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via dei Delfini, 17, 00186 Rome, ITALY, +393478024581 cretarome@gmail.com www.cretarome.com THE COMPETITION
Call for applications
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XXIVeme BIENNALE INTERNATIONALE
CREATION CONTEMPORAINE ET CERAMIQUE
VALLAURIS/2016
européen
Terralha
Festival
céramique
Du 11 au
14 juillet 2015
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A f CC
JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
69
ADVERTISEMENTS
Gŵyl Serameg Ryngwladol
International Ceramics Festival
03 - 05 JULY 2015
ABERYSTWYTH ARTS CENTRE, WALES, UK
trade stands, bookstalls, bars, good food,
good company, and much, much more - all in
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Bookings open 1st November 2014
(01970) 62 32 32
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Early booking strongly recommended
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DE
Email aafstaff@aber.ac.uk
Tel +(44) 01970 623232 (Tickets & Box Office)
Tel +(44) 07531146638 (General Enquiries)
Organised by North and South Wales Potters and
Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
Tip Toland (USA), Lisa Hammond (UK),
Naidee Changmoh (Thailand), John Higgins (UK),
Tony Clennel (Canada), Velimir Vukicevic (Serbia),
Gareth Mason (UK), Vineet Kacker (India),
Sergi Pahissa (Spain), Rita Gudino (Philippines),
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
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Europäische Ausgabe Deutsch-Englisch ◊ European Edition German-English
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
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73
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JULY / AUGUST 2015
NEW CERAMICS
75
IMPRINT
PROFILES
PREVIEW: ISSUE 5–2015
EXHIBITIONS and PROJECTS
GALLERIES FORUM KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
COURSES / SEMINARS / MARKETS
– published in the first week of September
OUTLOOK
1 RICHARD HIRSCH, one of the
greatest American ceramic artists, was as a lecturer
for many years, an inspiring and influential figure
in the American ceramics world. This spring, he left
the School for American Crafts at the Rochester
Institute of Technology as an emeritus professor,
where he had taught for almost thirty years. His
early works in connection with raku were pivotal
for the American crafts movement and even today
they form a living bridge between East and West.
In its sculptural message, his work is reminiscent of
the surrealist painter and sculptor Max Ernst. Scott
Meyer, professor of ceramics at the University
of Montevallo, gives us an introduction
to the work of Richard Hirsch.
1
2 MARGARETE DAEPP lives and works in Bern
32
3
and Geneva. After graduating from the School of
Design in Bern, she continued her training under
Setsuko Nagasawa at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Geneva and opened a studio in Bern in
1984. In 1989, she relocated to Berlin and studied
as a guest student under Rebecca Horn and Isa
Genzken at the University of Fine Art. In 1993, she
received an invitation as artist in residence to the
European Ceramic Work Center in 's-Hertogenbosch, NL. From 1994-5 in New York. Since 1999,
lecturer in the ceramics department at the CFP Arts
Appliqués in Geneva. Two further residencies
took Daepp to Japan in 2005 and 2013.
Evelyne Schoenmann, herself a Swiss ceramic artist,
takes a closer look at the working methods and the
development as an artist of Margarete Daepp.
3
... and • THE NEWS • more ARTISTS’ PROFILES • FORUM • EXHIBITION REVIEWS • latest news from
the GALLERIES and MUSEUMS • KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS and much, much more ...
NEW CERAMICS: ISSN 1860 - 1049
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Bernd Pfannkuche
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And in the FORUM section of this issue,
GUSTAV WEISS discusses creative optimism,
which informed the age of the Enlightenment in
all fields of thought, research and production
technology. Title: Enlightenment 3.0. This retrospective view does not solely serve the broadening
of our knowledge but also nudges us towards the
future, into the third Enlightenment, in which
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