HORROR VACUI – Ausstellung in Berlin

All my work pays its debts to the Danish ceramic
tradition of vessel making. A history that goes at
least 6000 years back. All is hand built, coiled,
exactly like the cave - men or - women did. I enjoy
being part of such an amazingly rich history, and I
take pleasure in for every new piece that may
contribute to this. My forms have for a long time
been simple but powerful shapes, as a counterpoint
to the complexity of the glazes. I let the ceramic
materials and the heat work together to create
textures and surfaces that are only possible to
obtain via the ceramic process.
Recently I have renewed and strengthened my
ceramics visual and physical impact rather
drastically. Horror Vacui, which will be on show in
Brutto Gusto, (fear of empty space) is used in
particular to describe the Greek pots from about
1000 BC with their intricate geometric decorations
that covers the entire jar. These new work consist of
two form related parts, which are recognizable as
an archetypical vase shape, that is abundantly
entwined with a three dimensional ornament, which
rises from the jar and becomes a form in its own
right.

I read vessels as neutral, but potent forms, and they
have once again been my starting point. I have used
sublime and violently glazed surfaces, to underline
the powerful forms and the arabesque. The
technique of superimposing glazes (adding layer
upon layer) is my most powerful tool to achieve
complex surfaces - rich in nuances and my
preferred ceramic colours; even very dull glazes can
become essential in combination with others. I
often re-fire my work, as the pieces very rarely
come out with the desired result after the first glaze
fire. Re-glazing pieces adds yet more layers,
though there is a limit, but often I pass this and
that may lead to the complete destruction of the
piece, the glaze literally eating its way through the
clay. Only the strongest survive.