Etienne Dubernet
France

“Trained in industrial design, I spent many years creating objects intended for mass production. Today, my ceramic practice is a reaction against this logic of standardization. I seek a modernity that is not synonymous with planned obsolescence, but rather a modernity rooted in the timeless, in the gesture, in the sensitive connection between humanity and matter. My work draws inspiration from ancient architecture, whose motifs I reinterpret to create a dialogue with our time. The arch motif, recurring in my pieces, is a universal symbol: it evokes shelter, threshold, and opening. By incorporating it into forms that are both refined and organic, I offer a contemporary reinterpretation of this historical aesthetic. This architecture becomes a language, a way of invoking a familiar visual field, a means of anchoring the past in the present.

I develop a geometry of singularity that defines the uniqueness of each piece. The plasticity of ceramics allows me to shape curved lines symbolizing randomness and life, in contrast to objects standardized by industry. My creations explore this tension between controlled forms and free lines, thus creating a dialogue between human order and the spontaneity of matter. Shaped clay is a living resource: it retains the memory of the gesture, sometimes resists, deforms, and seeks to exist beyond the finished object. My creations are in motion, like a testament to matter, constrained to serve us, and constantly striving to reclaim its rights.”

Etienne Dubernet