DIKSMUIDE, Belgium — Belgian artist Lut Laleman works on the micro scale. Her biography on Art Aurea states that her vessels are deceptively simple shapes— cylinders, funnels or shallow dishes in black, white and gray.
When you take a closer look, however, you can see a universe of complexity in each work. She alternates between black and white, building these into long coils built of thousands of tiny segments. It’s here where you see the inhuman precision she can bring to bear on every detail. Art Aurea calls it minimalism, but we agree with them that it doesn’t quite describe the breadth of what’s going on. For example, when one thinks of minimalism one doesn’t often think of motion, but it’s here, running through each piece in increasingly wide spirals.
Lut Laleman, “Lilies,” porcelain. Click to see a larger image.
Lut Laleman, vessels in porcelain, 20 x 7.5 & 18.5 x 11 cm. Click to see a larger image.
The works also semi-transparent, meaning that even though they’re gray scale they collaborate with light. The artist described this in a comment to Puls Ceramics in Brussels:
“My work is built of a layer of contrasting colours made of very fine coils of porcelain. Black and white porcelain alter vertically and horizontally. This creates an exciting variation between transparency and utter closeness. Light streams through my objects like a river through a landscape. The surface reminds people of delicate lace and basket work and it makes people want to touch the pieces.”
And of her process:
“My recent works are shallow plates and consist of two layers. They are, therefore, no longer translucent. Black and white microscopic dots are attached to a basic layer in a mathematical series. A fine pattern emerges. The complexity of the patterns and the size of the forms ask for a lot of precision and patience. Each manipulation has to be done at the exact moment. The technique is not only used to create shapes, the mathematical rhythm of the patterns has become the concept of the work.”
Do you love or loathe these works of contemporary ceramic art? Let us know in the comments.
Lut Laleman, Intersection V, porcelain, 37 x 3.5 cm & 33 x 3.5 cm. Click to see a larger image.
Truly amazing work! The shear patience it must take and the hours. Hats off to this artist, I am sure whatever they sell for cannot equal the time they take. That unto itself says just how committed she is.
I love this work! I have had a piece of hers for over 10 years. It only continues to get better and better!