Complicated SimplicityThe Porcelain of Lut Laleman

Article by Frank Steyaert

Group of Bowls. 2007. Coiled porcelain. 12 .t 6.5 cm.

IN RFCENT YEARS, BELGIAN CERAMIST LUT L A L E M A N ' Swork has repeatedly attracted attention. In 2004and 2006, she became a laureate in Belgian ceramic

contests. In 2005, Laieman was selected for the inter-national ceramics contest in Kecskemet, Hungary,and in 2007, for Aragon, Spain. Also in 2007 shereceived an honourable mention at the WorldCeramic Biennale in Korea and took part in the 'First

European Triennial for Glass and Ceramics in Mons,Belgium. In 2008 the City Museum of Dendermonde,Belgium, devotes an important exhibition to her work.

Laleman's objects seem simple, yet upon closerinspection, they reveal an unbelievably complexstructure. One realises this kind of work must beextremely time-consuming. Her work reminds us ofdelicate lace and basket work because it is made up of

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. 2004. Coiled porcelain. 14 cm/h.

Bowl. 2008. Loiled porcelain. 4.5 cm/h.

Vase. 2006. Coiled porcelain. 15 cm/h.

thin threads of clay. Her ceramic shapes are simple,strong and modern, devoid of decorative elements.

Laleman's work is made of extremely thin coils ofporcelain clay which, through superposition, form awail. She builds the walls intuitively, without using amould or a template. The coils themselves establish apattern. White porcelain alternates with black in thefine walls. Some coils are attached in a way so as tocreate a feeling of depth.

Because porcelain forms can change during thefiring when reaching maturation, Laleman chooses adesign that distributes pressure equally in a naturalway. This is an architectural principle. A bowl absorbsthe pressure of its own weight in much the same wayas a dome would in a church or a mosque. If a domebecomes too flat, it could collapse. Strength increaseswith depth. Laleman's work is similar to the narr-owing walls of windmills, water towers or construc-tions that have to withstand great pressure. Theaffinity with brick architecture doesn't end there: themultiple layers in Laleman's work are reminiscent ofrhythmical brick connections.

The artist has chosen to use only black and whiteporcelain because it stresses the interplay betweentransparency and utter denseness. Her minimalist useof colour and her simple division of surface create amaximum of expression, and a full use of the intrinsicproperties of porcelain. Laleman explores the limits ofmatter. Her pots are nearly weightless because thewalls are so thin. One more step and the work wouldbecome immaterial and intangible.

In Laleman's work, 'light' means both translucentand of little weigh. Making such objects is no laughing

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Two Cups. 2007. Coiled porcelain. 15 cm/h.

matter. As in any kind of ceramic work, every gesturehappens at the right moment. Laleman cannot inter-rupt her work because the fine walls dry out quicklyand one cannot continue building on top of dry porce-lain clay. Laleman cannot create pots in dry weathereither because she cannot work fast enough to coun-teract the drying process. That's why she works con-tinually, from early moming until late evening.

This requires careful preparation. Even the middaymeal is prepared beforehand as Laleman cannot bedisturbed while working. She is also active as a part-time pharmacist. Accuracy and precision are part ofher personality, as becomes apparent in both herceramics and her work as a pharmicist. "Ever since Ihave been involved in ceramics, I realise I no longerhave any 'hobbies'. My life is dedicated to my job andmy art. Ihavenotchosen the easy way, but the resultsgive me great satisfaction and stimulate me to go on."This continued dedication to her work gives her lifecontinuity. Group of Bowls. 2006. Coiled porcelain. 12-15.5 cm/h.

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Two Bowls. 2007. Coiled, altered porcelain. 1Ï .5 cm/I

Each work of art is the key to the next creation, tonew solutions, different variations. "I store the thingsaround me that offer inspiration in my memory, sothat I can use them at the right moment."

Laleman's latest works consist of two layers andare therefore no longer translucent, but the treatmentof the surface has become aii the richer. She no longeruses porcelain coils lengthwise, but cuts them into 1-2mm long pieces, and attaches them to a basic form soas to obtain a greater precision. By alternating blackand white dots, an infinitely fine pattern emerges thatis reminiscent of tufted tapestries or fine fabricswhere numerous coloured dots make up a uruformsurface The whole surface emits a mathematicalrhythm which makes the work shine, as if it were theiris of an eye, the structure of a shell or the micro-scopic cross-section of a plant stem. This new workwas shown in the exhibition Mathematical Ceramics in2007 in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.

The major exhibition of Laleman's work, in the CityMuseum of Dendermonde, offers a survey of herwork from the beginning, about five years ago.Besides her own work, the exhibition shows aselection from international present-day ceramics in

Belgian private collections, primarily work that hasan affinity to her own. Most of the work on show issmall, mainly in black and white with a spiritual affin-ity; a limitation is actually interesting and which givesthe exhibition a feeling of unity.

Laleman's favourite objects include a bronze-coloured vase by Lucie Rie with fine white sgraffitolines and the work of Bodil Manz, who makes innerand outer patterns correspond by means of the trans-parency of her porcelain pots. Major works alsoinclude objects by Paula Bastiaansen and WouterDam, which govern the surrounding space by theirspiral movement, and the trompe l'oeil pots of Elisa-beth Fritsch. Belgian ceramic works include the deli-cate light-coloured bowls of Mieke Everaet and theinventive work of Piet Stockmans. The exhibition LutLaleman and her choice from ceramics in Belgian privatecollections ran from 13 April to 25 May 2008 in the CityMuseum of Dendermonde, Belgium.

Frank Steyaert is a ceramist and a collector. He has been rurming agallery and private museum of ceramics in Ghent, Belgium, since3999. He was curator of the First European Triennial of Ceramicsand Glass organised in Miins, Belgium, in 2007. Photography:Koen De Muynck. Translation; Garine Verleye.