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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
4 197150 010006
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
Opening hours: Tel.: + 49 (0) 6221-6190 90 Galerie Marianne Heller
Tue - Fri 11-13 & 14.30-18 Uhr www.galerie-heller.de Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 2
Öffnungszeiten:
Sat 11-18 www.galerie-heller.de
info@galerie-heller.de Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage
Am Stadtgarten 2
Di-Fr: 11 -13 Uhr und 14 -18 Uhr info@galerie-heller.de Am Stadtgarten
D-69117 Heidelberg
64 Sa: 11 -18 Uhr, und nach Vereinbarung Tel: + 49 (0) 6221-6190 90 D-69117 Heidelberg
NEUE KERAMIK MÄRZ / APRIL 2010
zus.: So,12.07. + So,16.08. 11.30-18 Uhr
NEW CERAMICS
NEW CERAMICS
CONTENTS 4 / 2015
04 NEWS International
PROFILES
4
08 Hans & Birgitte Börjeson Denmark
14 Velimir Vukicevic Serbia
18 Janet MacPherson Canada
22 Nathalie Doyen Belgium
26 Frauke Albert Germany
30 Suvira McDonald Australia
33
FORUM / EDUCATION
“Form Follows Failure” – Gustav Weiß Art appreciation 8
EXHIBITIONS / EVENTS
36 Galerie ATELIER NO 4 – Sankt Wendel Germany
37 “Bembel-Experiment” – Höhr-Grenzhaen / Frankfurt Germany
38 Salzburg Ceramics Prize – Salzburg Austria
40 25 Years of the Keramikmuseum Berlin – Berlin Germany
42 Raval de l'Art – Roquetes, Tarragona Spain
43 Ceramic Portrait – Oldenburg Germany
44 CERAMIC ART – London UK
46 In the Passage of Time – Cathy Fleckstein – Kellinghusen Germany
48 NCECA – Providence USA
52 Woodfiring Conference – Guldagergaard Denmark
54 COLLECT – London UK
56 EXPONATE 2015 – Höhr-Grenzhausen Germany
58
CERAMICS & TRAVEL
Studying in Korea – Seoul Korea 14
IN STUDIO
62 Simcha Even-Chen – Evelyne Schoenmann Interview / Developing skills
DATES / Exhibitions / Galleries / Museums
64 Exhibition diary International
68 COURSES / SEMINARS / MARKETS International
74 ADVERTISEMENTS International
76 PREVIEW / IMPRINT Information
40 33
26
COVER:
52
Variations
by
Hans & Birgitte
Börjeson (DK)
Page 8
RAKUVARIA Raku Festival in Sevenum
4/2015 EDITOR'S NOTES
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 clear-
ing 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 water-
ing 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 confer-
ence, 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 Pro-
files 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 Keramik-
museum 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
DIE NEWS INFORMATION / EXHIBITIONS / PRIZES
ARNOLDSCHE ART PUBLISHER - Global Guests in Central Europe
The Heidelberg-based Marianne Heller Gallery is pre-
THE NEXT GENERATION senting an exhibition of international ceramics of truly
Dirk Allgaier is taking over the reins of the Stutt- global scope from 28 June – 26 July. From its own
gart-based artbook publishers and is starting out in holdings, vessels and sculptures from the UK, South
new premises. For over ten years, Dirk Allgaier has America, Australia and Japan will be on show, works
been one of the leading lights at the international pub- by world stars of ceramic art such as Sandy Brown,
lishing house with headquarters in the south of Stutt- Ken Eastman, Colin Pearson, Gustavo Perez and liv-
gart. On 1 April 2015, he has now become proprietor ing national treasure Isezaki Jun. At the opening
of Arnold Art Publishers. Founder Dieter Zühlsdorff is ceremony on 28 June, the outstanding Austrian cer-
retiring. One of the new head's main objectives is to amist Thomas Bohle presented a book on his work
continue expanding company's international activities. published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart – as
well as a small, exquisite exhibition of his spectacular,
Dirk Allgaier photo: Miriam Künzli for Art Aurea delicately glazed double-walled vessels (photo below).
And for the closing of the exhibition on 26 July, the
On Feet of Clay – internationally renowned American ceramist Marc
Leuthold, professor at New York State University, will
Ceramic Figurines present his work, which ranges between abstract and
figural sculpture, in a lecture and with some exam-
Humans have always been fascinated
by creating their own image in clay. In ples at Galerie Heller. From 9 August – 20 September,
ceramic art in the 20th century, artists’ Marianne Heller's now traditional 25-year cooperation
study of this subject area had been with Czech ceramic artists will be continued with a
particularly wide ranging. Along side further exhibition in the series Between Prague and
Christian interpretations such as the Budweis with new work by: Miroslav Oliva, Elzbieta
mother of god, there are mythologi- Grosseová, Jiri Laštovicka, Tomáš Proll, Eva Slavíková.
cal representations as well as genre
scenes and portraits. The exhibition
with pieces from the museum's own
holdings shows individual figures, cou-
ples or groups in various styles and ce-
ramic techniques. The exhibition runs
until 30 August 2015.
Stiftung KERAMION - Zentrum für Gerda Smolik, The Blue Hare Behind Me, 2005,
moderne+historische Keramik, Bonn- Limoges porcelain, h 24 cm
photo: Ferdinand Neumüller
straße 12, 50226 Frechen, Germany.
Tel. +49 (0)2234 - 69 76 9-0, info@keramion.de I www.keramion.de
Pottbäckermarkt – IKKG – Students from the Institute of Ceramics and
Glass Arts (IKKG), Höhr-Grenzhausen are presenting
Niederrhein Keramikpreis for two exhibitions: 1. From 3 June – 5 June 2015 the an-
Frank Schillo from Köln nual “Academic Tour”takes place at the Ceratec-Center,
The Lower Rhine Ceramics Prize worth EUR Rheinstraße 60a in Höhr-Grenzhausen with works from
1,000 at the 24th Krefeld Pottbäckermarkt the departments of fine art, glass and ceramics.
was sponsored by the Volksbank Krefeld Opening: Friday, 3 July 2015, 5 p.m.
for the first time. Mayor Karin Meincke pre- Sat. – Sun. 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
sented the prize to freelance ceramist Frank 2. - 3 Galleries 7 Positions - Exhibition of graduates'
Schillo from Cologne. Schillo impressed the work at the Institut für Künstlerische Keramik und Glas,
expert judges with his wide range, covering Hochschule Koblenz. 1 - Galerie Handwerk, Rizzastraße
classic sculptures, functional wares and gift 24-26, 56068 Koblenz. Opens: 11 July 2015, 2 p.m.
articles. Besides the Keramikpreis, he also received the “Ceramics Oscar”, a blue with Walerija Peter, Claudia Thumm, Yuhuan Zhang.
vase with rings to denote the number of Pottbäcker markets there have been in 2 - 3.30 p.m., Galerie Barbara Gröbl, Casinostraße 37,
Krefeld. The 24th Krefeld Pottbäckermarkt with close to 100 German and inter- 56068 Koblenz with Miki Lin and at 6 p.m. Kasino, Ka-
national exhibitors was once again well attended from start to finish. The exhibits sinostrasse 7, 56203 Höhr-Grenzhausen with Randolph
included contemporary ceramic design, craft pottery, white porcelain and tradi- Capelle, Clara Clauter, Verena Schatz. 11 – 19 July 2015
tional wares. www.krefeld.de/pottbaeckermarkt 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 crea-
tive, 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 com-
mittee in its decision. Cultural affairs officer, Dr Rossmeissl explained, “This artist cou-
ple (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 de-
cisions 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 peo-
ple 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 ex-
hibition 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 Töp-
fermarkt. 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 Hand-
crafted 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.
The organisers and exhibitors © photo - Stephanie Schorch From 24 – 26 April, K.i.Ste. showed contemporary ceramic art in the former
basalt quarry, which is only open to the public for the three days of the ceram-
ics 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 Keramikpanorama Murten
The worldwide brand Goldscheider Exhibition from 18 (Switzerland) enters its third round.
June – 11 October 2015. Sensuous, vulnerable, self-confi- After thorough deliberation and intense discussion,
dent – women in the brilliant wealth of their characters are the committee has reached the decision to once
the subject of the sculptures from the Viennese factory of again put on an international ceramics panorama
Friedrich Goldscheider. Between 1885 and 1938, the com- covering all areas and trends in 2016. The juried ex-
pany put over 10,000 different pieces on the market – usu- hibition will take place in Murten right by the lake.
ally in ceramic but also in metal and cast stone. They met The organisation will be further simplified, taking
the taste of a wide audience, combining a sense of longing, advantage of past experience. As usual, entries can
lightness, elegance and glamour, leading people into the be submitted from December 2015 until the end of
borderline area between art and kitsch, the twilight world of March 2016. The call for entries will be published in
dance, theatre, film and fashionable society. With its branch- good time on www.keramikpanorama.ch. We will
es in Leipzig, Paris and Florence, the company was present once again be grateful for any ceramists willing to
at major exhibitions and trade fairs. Innovative techniques, help. Simply drop us a line at:
variations in the materials, size and brushwork, but above info@keramikpanorama.ch
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, Invitation to the exhibition
Germany. Tel.: +49 (0) 341/ 222 9100, “One more cup....”
grassimuseum@leipzig.de I www.grassimuseum.de 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 inter-
national Arts & Crafts professionals and designers to
International Ceramics Festival 2015 Aberystwyth - show their drinking containers, one-offs as well as
Filipino Professor to build unique ‘birthing kiln’ at International Ceramics Festival and small series, We are looking forward to work made
host a baby-making workshop! Professor Rita Gudiño, from the University of the of various materials such as china, ceramics, wood,
Philippines’ College of Fine Arts (UP CFA), headlines this year’s glass, metal or plastics; we also expect all sorts of
much-anticipated International Ceramics Festival with her forms: small or large, with or without handle, with
LUAL (birth) kiln building session and Sibol (clay) baby making saucer or without, for cold or for hot drinks. We are
workshop. Participants in her exclusive workshop will be able particularly interested in pieces of work which show
to make clay babies in a one day workshop at Aberystwyth on contemporary, innovative or unusual design. (Appli-
23rd June 2015 to be fired in the LUAL kiln during a dramatic cations from the area of Fine Art will not be admit-
performance firing event at the festival. The LUAL, which is a ted!) Closing date for entries: 31 January 2016.
raku kiln in the form of a birthing woman, Earth Mother and Entries sent in digital form including application,
Birth Goddess will give birth to the clay figures fired within in statements and photos will be treated preferentially.
Prof Gudiño’s art, which, she says, represents a metaphor of All further details can be found in the conditions of
birthing. FRI 3 – SUN 5 JULY 2015 - Aberystwyth Arts Centre, entry. Please make use of the prepared answer form
Mid Wales, UK www.internationalceramicsfestival.org available on www.hwk-hannover.de/onemorecup
6 NEW CERAMICS JULY / AUGUST 2015
COMPETITIONS / EVENTS DIE NEWS
International understanding Silent Strength and Power Drink
at the potter’s wheel - – The classic teabowl and creative variations
Thomas Benirschke und Rasani Abdl – theme of the Museumsfest and the Keramik-
Jalil have furthered their cooperation, markt and of the annual competition exhibition
in Tamesloth near Marrakesh, where at the Keramikmuseum Westerwald! The subject
Benirschke has been given further in- of tea and teabowls appealed to numerous cera-
struction in the coil and throw meth- mists: 100 participants for the exhibition with 3
od. Jalil’s assistant wedges the clay joint pieces and a total of 231 individual exhibits
with his feet, prepares the lumps of from 17 countries speak for themselves. The six l. to r. Major Michael Thiesen, Susanne Altzweig, Bernd
clay for throwing and drives the wheel prizes awarded by a panel of expert judges were Pfannkuche, Kathrin Najorka, Armin Rieger, Director of the
museum Monika Gass, Robert Lawarre (USA)
with his feet. He and the master are presented during the opening ceremony on 6
an experienced team, having worked June 2015. The NEW CERAMICS Prize worth Euro 500 went to Katrin Najorka from Krauschwitz
together for 38 years. We are looking for a set of woodfired teabowls. The prize of the Kreissparkasse Westerwald, also worth Euro 500,
forward to Thomas Benirschke’s latest went to Kiho Kang for a set of porcelain bowls and a teapot. The prize of materials worth Euro
report. 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 Hasen-
berg 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 Ha-
Ram 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
Biennial returns to Stoke-on-Trent – 26 Sept. – 8 Nov. 2015 Internationale de Vallauris – Création con-
• Featuring 20 exhibitions and over 60 national and international ceramic art- temporaine et céramique will take place from July to No-
ists • Survey shows AWARD and FRESH acknowledging innovation and identi- vember 2016. The Biennale is constructed in the form of
fying emerging talent • Powerful WW1 memorial incorporating thousands of scheduled exhibitions, including a competition and a group
white bone china flowers, to commemorate men of the North Staffordshire of exhibitions, thematic or monographic, which are not on a
Regiment who fell in 1914-18 • New installation by leading multi-disciplinary competitive basis, in order to highlight the richness and diver-
artist, Bruce McLean • Chance to purchase exhibition pieces, one-off and sity of current creativity in ceramics at an international level.
editioned work. This autumn the UK’s largest ceramics festival, the British The competition is reserved for candidates who are nationals
Ceramics Biennial (BCB), will return to Stoke-on-Trent for six weeks from 26 of a member country of the EU. After a selection made by
September to 8 November 2015. At the heart of this international cultural a jury, it gives rise to an exhibition at the Musée Magnelli,
event stands the historic former Spode pottery factory, which will once again Musée de la céramique, to a publication in the catalogue of
form the creative hub for the festival. For the first time the building’s imposing the Biennale and to the award of prizes: «Grand Prix de la
China Hall will be home to the Biennial’s centrepiece exhibition AWARD. Fol- Ville de Vallauris» to a value of EUR 15,000 covering all cat-
lowing selection by a panel of judges chaired by Alun Graves, Senior Curator egories / Three «prix Ville de Vallauris Golfe-Juan» to a value
at the V&A, the 11 artists shortlisted for its £5,000 prize will each present new of EUR 5,000, or one per category / Prix “Jeune créateur
works exemplifying the energy and vitality of British contemporary ceramics. (moins de 35 ans) [“Young artist”]”, to a value of EUR 3,000.
Joining Award in the China Hall will be another festival highlight FRESH show- Deadline: 15 September 2015. Application form:
casing the most promising talent from the UK’s recent graduates working www.vallauris-golfe-juan.fr/-Biennale-Internationale-de-.html
across ceramics disciplines. www.britishceramicsbiennial.com 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, Kel-
linghusen, 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 pres-
ent 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.
JULY / AUGUST 2015 NEW CERAMICS 7
PROFILE
Birgitte and Hans Börjeson
Jorunn Veiteberg
The Art of Salting
T
he pottery that comes from Birgitte and Hans Börje- practice with deep roots in the history of the craft. Ever since
sons workshop is stamped ´Fulby´ the name of the they met in one of England's richest pottery regions in Corn-
Zealand village where they have lived and worked wall, where they both worked at Crowan Pottery with Harry
since 1963. The name is a signal that there is no and May Davis, they have been able to develop the best of this
point asking which of them does what, or asking for a pot made tradition even further.
by either one individually. They work closely together, whether Many people mainly associate Fulby pottery with salt-glazed
they are developing ideas, finding solutions to technical and stoneware. Although they also make dishes and bowls in por-
artistic problems or realizing a particular piece, although as a celain with celadon glazes, it is in salt-glazing that they have
rule Hans deals with the most physically demanding throwing made their mark most strongly and won most recognition, for
jobs and Birgitte with the decoration. Working together like this example taking prizes at the First World Ceramic Biennale in
and calling the pottery after the place where it is produced is a Korea in 2001 and at Salzbrand in Koblenz in 2002. Salt-glazed
8 NEW CERAMICS JULY / AUGUST 2015BIRGITTE AND HANS BÖRJESONS PROFILE
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
JULY / AUGUST 2015 NEW CERAMICS 9PROFILE
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 evap-
oration 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 ad-
ditional 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 2015BIRGITTE AND HANS BÖRJESONS PROFILE nate them ever since. As in cooking, it is important to add just you describe a pot or jug you use words like neck, shoulder and the right dose, although what one sees as the right amount is body. So it is not so strange that we easily associate the shapes also a matter of personal taste. The culinary parallel is more of the pots with human emotions and characteristics. relevant than one might think: just as salt is necessary to the The Börjeson's dishes and large bowls should be mentioned glaze, salt-glazed stoneware is ideal for cooking. The Fulby as- too. The dishes are square and their size indicates that they are sortment is particularly rich in casseroles, jugs, cups and pâté decorative rather than purely functional. The geometrical pat- forms in various sizes. They are not only functional vessels terns stem from many sources – perhaps a detail from a floor for the food and liquids they contain; they are also a sensory or wall seen on one of their many journeys, and presented in stimulus to both eye and hand. In short, they help to give daily a new context. In principle, a pattern on a flat surface has no rituals an aesthetic boost. clear beginning or end. The gaze can stray freely over it, but The Fulby jugs are particularly worth noting. They have shifting the focus moves the centres of gravity and a visual been part of the assortment right from the start. The oldest ones dynamic arises. This way of creating patterns differs from the are clearly related to the rustic brown jugs of the French coun- decoration on a series of large bowls with figures that can al- try kitchen. But over the years their functionality has receded most be read as a comic strip. These are dramatic stories. Peace- ever more into the background in favour of a more expressive ful bird people are attacked by aggressive predators. Around style. In parallel with this there has been a simplification where them are texts and signs referring to different historical epochs, each of the parts that define a jug – spout, body and handle, as religions and civilizations. Together they tell a tale of the hu- well as inside and outside – has been more clearly accentuated man folly of war and violence. The struggle between good and by contrasts in colour and form. Todays jugs look like person- evil is portrayed as an eternal process, from the beginning of alities. Some seem puffed up and arrogant, strutting with their time to the present. spouts in the air; others look more aggressive, or round and jo- Hans has said that in their works they “try to preserve the vial. There is a long tradition of interpreting pots as metaphors structure of the clay and convey the genesis of the pot as it for different human types. Our very language reveals this; when developed in the wet clay”. You can see this in the finished jugs JULY / AUGUST 2015 NEW CERAMICS 11
PROFILE
and dishes as traces of the circular throwing movements and years of participation in the ceramic fair Keramisto in Milsbeek,
in the visibility of the joints and construction. And most of all, Holland.
the character of the material is evident from the thin, uneven They are often to be found at ceramic fairs and art and craft
edges of the large bowls. The salt-glaze emphasizes the process fairs around Europe, and more than thirty years ago they took
and accentuates the form. It does not work as a camouflaging the initiative for the fair that has become an annual tradition at
layer, but rather as the skin of the pot transformed into a glaze. Vor Frue Plads in Copenhagen. These fairs provide an opportu-
Hans and Birgitte's practice as potters spans a multitude of nity for close encounters with both colleagues and buyers, but
idioms. In addition to those already mentioned, they have been they are also a presentation venue that many people feel lies
responsible for public decorations, benches, tiles, pavings and, outside the framework of cultural institutions. As with all ar-
not least, columns. Six columns more than two and a half me- tistic disciplines, there is a hierarchy in the ceramics world too.
tres tall were shown in an exhibition in Designmuseum Den- Different techniques and idioms enjoy different statuses, and if
mark in Copenhagen. They are built up with salt-glazed mod- you want to carve out a career as an artist there are a number
ules differing in colour and form, one supporting another, edge of rules for what you should or shouldn't do.
to edge without any use of mortar. The columns are decoration In Ceramic Review, the master of functional ceramics and
for an old peoples' home in Vlissingen in Holland, where they salt-glaze, Walter Keeler, claims that the world of ceramics
support a glass roof. The commission is the result of their many seems to be divided into two camps: one for potters and one for
artists. This tiresome distinction has helped to establish opposi-
left A glimpse of their showroom
tions between making ceramics for everyday use and creating
ceramic objects with no practical function. But as Keeler so
opposite Celadon bowl, h 18 cm, ø 50cm rightly points out, the everyday utility article can reflect all
12 NEW CERAMICS JULY / AUGUST 2015BIRGITTE AND HANS BÖRJESONS PROFILE
Photos – Ole Haupt – www.olehaupt.dk
aspects of life, including art. Similarly, it Birgitte was born in Copenhagen in 1939. Hans in Sweden in 1932
is a modernist myth that artistic renewal We started our workshop in Fulby, Denmark in 1963 after 4 years in craft schools in Copen-
must mean a break with the traditions hagen and Gothenburg and after working 2 years together at Harry and May Davis' Crowan
Pottery in Cornwall.
of the past. In our first 20 years we mostly made domestic wares with tenmoku and celadon rock glazes.
The Börjeson's pottery is an example In the 80s we built our first gas fired kiln for saltglazing – to work with saltglazing was just
of this. The dialogue with the profes- the right thing for us, we felt it gave us a more direct way of working with clay. Lots of fir-
sion's own traditions and the new cur- ings full of experiments with slips and clays and ways of adding the salt into the kiln – now
rents of the age is an important platform we have ended up with blowing 12 kilos of salt into the hottest zones – with a sandblasting
pistol. It works very well.
for them. Yet the most important mes- We found out that saltglaze is very resistant to the Nordic climate. So we got several outdoor
sage that flows out of the workshop in commissions from architects and builders, columns, benches, reliefs and water fountains. At
Fulby is that drawing a boundary be- the same time we exhibited in galleries all over Europe – and got represented in museums in
tween pottery and art is uninteresting. Copenhagen, Stockholm, Korea, China and Taiwan. We also did ceramic demonstrations in
Seeing a jug on a market stall can give 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
you as great an artistic experience as Potfest in England, Cordes sur Ciel in France, St. Sulpice in Paris and Keramisto in Holland. It
seeing a column in the museum. The sig- is a good opportunity for dialogue with both customers and colleagues and it is great fun. In
nificance of things in our lives depends 2001 we got a prize from The World Ceramic Biennale in Korea and in 2002 we got the first
neither on their size nor on their status; prize in The international Saltglaze Competition in Koblenz.
it is related to the stories they carry with 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
them – and the new stories we give them succeeded, so far.
through our interpretation and use.
Jorunn Veiteberg has a PhD in art history HANS & BIRGITTE BÖRJESON
Exhibition of work by Hans and
from the University of Bergen, Norway. Fulby Gl. Skole
Birgitte Börjeson at the Keramikmuseum
She is currently working as a freelance Dansbrovej 2
Westerwald, Höhr-Grenzhausen, opens on
writer and guest professor at the School of DK-4180 Sorø, Denmark
Sunday, 9 August at 11.30 a.m.
Design and Crafts at Gothenburg University, Tel. + 45 57 84 42 43
Exhibition until 20 September 2015
Sweden. hb@fulby.com I www.fulby.com
JULY / AUGUST 2015 NEW CERAMICS 13PROFILE
VELIMIR VUKICEVIC
Master of Illusionism
T
Blaženka Šoic Štebih
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 col-
lection of contemporary ceramics from all over the world. His work captures peo-
ple'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
14 NEW CERAMICS JULY / AUGUST 2015VELIMIR 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 “combi-
nation of porcelain form and ceramic paint-
ing 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 con-
struction, the impression, or rather the il-
lusion 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 propor-
tional 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 Re-
naissance painted his Holy Trinity in Flor-
ence, 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 consid-
ered 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 an-
gle of view from this or that standpoint at
this or that moment. Geometric perspective
does not however offer an objective repre- that his choice of this means of artistic expression is based precisely on them:
sentation of reality, as is often rather facilely they afford him the greatest possible freedom and individuality. He skilfully and
stated. On the contrary: no other method of deliberately organises his planes, leading us into the virtual spaces and depths
representation could be more subjective. of his inner worlds. He is uninfluenced by the appearances of the outer world.
As a schooled artist, Velimir Vukicevic is His source is his inner world.
aware of the laws of linear or geometrical “When I make my forms, I am actually seeking the surfaces that I will paint
perspective and construction and it seems on," he says in an interview. And these forms are cubes, cylinders, twisted,
JULY / AUGUST 2015 NEW CERAMICS 15PROFILE
stretched blocks, boxes, plates and
bowls, but also undefined forms,
which, in the interplay with the draw-
ings 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 en-
twined with ribbons that seem to float
in space above the surface that they
are painted on, thus becoming space
themselves. We are impressed and en-
thralled by the astonishing precision
in the execution of the brushwork.
The geometrically structured, trans-
parent illustrations on the porcelain
bowls, which are also geometrically
formed, are an ideal decor. The de-
fine a perfectly designed piece of out-
standing 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 dimen- “Tricky Plate”, ø 50 cm, mould pressed porcelain plate painted with engobes
sion, entering a virtual three-dimen- 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 NEW CERAMICS JULY / AUGUST 2015VELIMIR 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 Ju-
goslav 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 ingen-
ious 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 ele-
ments. Sometimes a plane whirrs and bubbles with content, but it is never cacopho-
nous.
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 natural-
ness 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 develop-
ment of civilisation and of ceramics as its inseparable constituent will not renounce
individuality, creativity, imagination, emotion or the sense of material. These quali-
ties 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 VELIMIR VUKICEVIC
always fascinated me and motivates me to remain curious and to continue working." Katiceva 2
11000 Belgrad
Serbia
Blaženka Šoic Štebih is a ceramist, the president of KERAMEIKON and a member of IAC vvukicevic@sbb.rs
info@kerameikon.com I www.kerameikon.com www.velimirvukicevic.com
JULY / AUGUST 2015 NEW CERAMICS 17PROFILE
Tame piglets and holy cows –
The ceramics of the artist
JANET MACPHERSON Anja Sommer
J
anet MacPherson has a small collection of plastic or become part of her library of animals – readily anthropomor-
rubber toy animals: mice, rabbits, small pigs, horses and phised alter egos.
many more. On the basis of her decision to make her plaster moulds
Whilst she was working at the Zentrum für Keramik from commercially available figures, an abundance of choices
in Berlin, she bought an elephant. It was of the same proportions and combinations follows for MacPherson. Once made, every
as the other creatures in her little herd, and after heading back to choice – an elephant for example – is constantly reviewed and
Canada from Berlin, it will be the basis for a new mould. After a questioned. By experimentation, parts of her animals appear in
plaster cast has been meticulously taken, the elephant will then new contexts and even lose their animal nature entirely. They
18 NEW CERAMICS JULY / AUGUST 2015JANET 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 mark-
ings 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 remi-
niscent 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 en-
counter a helping hand? The heads of two sheep bound together:
two people inseparably joined under this cowl, involved in invis-
ible 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 breed-
ing, 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 com-
mercial 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 simplifi-
cation.
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
JULY / AUGUST 2015 NEW CERAMICS 19PROFILE
Disregarding early depictions of exotic creatures in mediaeval duck's tales make reference to genetic manipulations in the labo-
book illustrations, it soon becomes apparent that one and the ratory. Some readers may remember the story in the media a few
same species has received a range of different forms. With their years ago of a mouse with a human ear affixed to its back.
oral or written historical descriptions of the appearance animals, Ceramic artist Judith Runge from Halle in Germany has also
observers focused on various features that seemed particular to been working with a repertoire of moulds of fruit similar to Ja-
them personally – outlandish or inexplicable. net MacPherson's animals. Banapples and strawnanas emerge –
MacPherson has made a clear decision to accept certain norms crosses and hybrids – crazy fruit that should be rejected. Which
dictated by these plastic animals. What was standardised in the is not normal and certainly not edible.
original becomes unmistakable and special through her choices: When we see the pig on stilt legs, we are torn between sympa-
the pig's funny floppy ear, the strangely perfect curly wool of thy and doubt. Creatures that so obviously do not look right like
the sheep – even the so awkwardly-perfect looking folds of the MacPherson's have difficulty in gaining our trust.
Madonna's dress. She continues the story in her own words, only In her figures, humans are also placed in animal attire. She
leaving us with quotations of the originals, precisely as it hap- answers the question as to why dolls do not appear in her work,
pened to the exotic creatures. only body parts like hands or feet, saying they are too close to
Janet MacPherson's sheep in dog's clothing and rabbits with the human form. Like in fables, in MacPherson's ceramics the
animals take over human actions like alter egos whose eccentric-
ities 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 as-
sembled 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 reli-
gious souvenir shops. They too consist of montages from various
casts.
The cow standing on its back legs (Guardian), the winged fig-
ure 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 NEW CERAMICS JULY / AUGUST 2015You can also read
