AGA ROBAK AND AGNES HUSZ
INFINITE MOVEMENT IN NATURE
Born in Poland and based now in London, ceramicist Aga Robak takes inspiration
from both geometric shapes and natural forms in her functional vessels.
These two seemingly contradictory muses lead to a unique sense of both the organic
and the manmade in her work.
Lanzarote Rocky Beach | Vase
As a young woman Robak was introverted and lacked the confidence she thought was necessary to pursue a career in art.
She began her career in art restoration, hiding shyly behind the work
of others. When she left Poland for Ireland to study, she discovered
the freedom that clay allowed her from her own pressures of perfection. She began experimenting, letting the process be playful
and has developed her own creative style.
“I am a maker and working with my hands is essential,” she says.
“It helps me relax and clear my mind which was very helpful
during the lockdown and throughout other anxious moments.”
Lanzarote Beach and Rocks | Vessel
The Lanzarote collection, which features on the Cluster Crafts online exhibition pages and on the online store, is inspired by a trip
to the Canary Islands. It is her largest hand-built work to date.
“For me it is a very intimate, hands on collection,” she explains, “a break from the moulds and casting that I have previously used in my work.”
The dramatic landscape and the colours of the volcanic sand infiltrated her imagination, and the resulting stoneware vessels feature ripples
of dark and light clays that mimic the exposed rocks on the cliffs
and beaches of the island.
Lanzarote Inside Volcano | Vase
The movement of the colour across the pieces also echoes
the constant movement of the water across the rocks as the tides covers and reveals the shore.
“The vessels in this collection are made using the pinching technique, which is probably the oldest way to make ceramics. I stretched the clay to create rock-like textures, whereas for the water effect
I relied on glazing,” says Robak.
Lanzarote Inside Volcano | Vase
The pieces are single fired, which means that I apply glazes straight
on raw clay. This is technically challenging but as less energy
is required to fire them, it is better for the environment.”
The Lanzarote collection is intended to be used to house indoor plants. As she makes the work, Robak calls to mind the memory of the place
that inspired it. She hopes this sense of tranquility and wholeness
is felt by the viewer.
Galaxy Pot
Also taking inspiration from the endless movement
of nature, Hungarian artist Agnes Husz
has been interested in craft techniques for many years. Her father was a collector of art and introduced her
as a child to the traditional artisans of the region.
From an early age, she felt the desire to make objects
that contributed to this lineage.
Husz was always attracted to way clay responded
so naturally to the actions and gestures of the artist.
Galaxy Pot
Galaxy Treasure Bowl
In the early 1990s, Husz moved from Europe to Japan and Eastern aesthetics and philosophies began to permeate her style.
Her work takes cues from the two different parts of the world she has lived in.
“As I have been living and working in Japan for many years, my sculptures and bowls evoke an Oriental atmosphere,”
explains Husz. “Being immersed in the mysteries of nature, the traditions and philosophies
of this culture have instinctively generated works entwining influences of the East and the West.
Galaxy Treasure Bowl
“What I had brought from Europe was my concept of form and creating, rooted in my hometown of Mohacs, a historical town famous
for its traditions and its black earthen-ware. Japan taught me how to bring this idea of making together with its natural beauty.”
Husz’s signature spiralling sculptures and bowls are made
with long clay strips that are rolled by hand. The making of the strips
and the subsequent winding of them into beautiful shapes
take on a ritualistic feeling in her studio. Repetitive gestures that become a kind of moving meditation between the material and the maker.
Galaxy
The spirals, she explains, aim to mimic the movement of the cosmos
and the circular motions of infinity.
“In my work, I integrate the composition of colours and surfaces,
I only use glaze sporadically. The state of incompleteness,
the imperfection is part of the composition,” she explains.
“In the work process, the natural reaction of the material is the most important tool in my hands. This leads to a harmony of material,
form and idea.”
Work by both Aga Robak and Agnes Husz is available via the Cluster Crafts online store.
Thank you for reading,
Katie De Klee & Cluster Team.