FRAGILE! World ceramics in Lisbon

You couldn’t mistake Haley Bernier's pottery for another, not least because of her almost exclusive use of white. Living and working in Lisbon, this American found in Marvila, at Fábrica Moderna, the ideal place to give shape to her ideas. With consumption, value and disposable goods on the back of her mind, she uses clay to render products that we are used to chucking in the bin. The difference being that these pieces are made to last.

Packages and crumpled cups, disposable food packaging and plastic bags – Bernier’s ceramics recreate every wrinkle and dent with stunning realism. And the pieces lend themselves to the most diverse of uses – there are decorative jars, cups for using at the table, serving dishes, bottles for the refrigerator and even hanging vases for plants.

@heir.ceramics

She gave up busy London, where she studied art and worked for the fashion industry, for the peace and quiet of Fonte da Telha. The move to Portugal was not the only turn of the wheel for this young French woman originally from Paris. As a textile designer, with an established atelier and a portfolio of customers that included brands like Sandro and Zara, she let herself be seduced by a new raw material. She tried pottery classes and, three months later, quit her job to completely devote to her newest passion.

The rest is plain for all to see – generous daubs of colour, directly inspired by her idol Henri Matisse, lots of animals, influences from her time spent in South Africa, ever curvaceous female figures and phrases painted on dishes. 

The sun and calmer lifestyle were not the only reasons that brought her to Portugal. The growing reputation of Portuguese pottery is such that it convinced Rouget to bring her whole operation with her (even with a porcelain factory in the family). In France, Laetitia still takes on collaborations in the textiles area. In the South Bay, she continues to explore ideas for decorating her new place. After the chairs (also her own design), it’s time to come up with a new table.

@laetitiarouget

Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, her fine arts studies took her to London, Stockholm, and Amsterdam. A journey that brought her to Lisbon in 2017, where she has a small atelier and works with just one material: ceramics. Portugal emerged as the obvious choice – because of its pottery-making tradition and the sheer stylistic diversity this age-old technique offers.

There are no doubts in Anne Öhrling Dersén’s mind: it’s about creating pieces that are as useful as they are disconcerting, that she herself can engage with. And if she doesn’t make her living just from this art form, it’s because she doesn’t want to spoil the pleasure it gives her by being forced to mass produce. 

Her style is unmistakable – creations with a touch of the surreal, a childlike aesthetic even, and imperfect finishes that do not shy away from the detail. After all, we are dealing with a fan of the 1970s and of antique and second-hand markets. These days, she speaks of her work’s vibrant craftsmanship, but also the balance between sculpture and functionality. 

The I’m Not Messy, I’m Creative project is up and running, and Anne, along with her work in translation and dubbing, has her hands full in the studio, whether creating new pieces, dealing with special orders or giving tuition in her ceramics workshops, on Mondays and Saturdays.

@im_not_messy_im_creative 

Cécile fell in love with ceramics in one of the best places to practise the art. It was during an artistic residency at the Vista Alegre factory in Ílhavo that this French woman, recently arrived in Portugal, produced her first porcelain pieces. For three months, she threw herself into making vases and plaster casts with an intensity that would come to shape her future.

Lisbon was her next destination (and also her final one), for all kinds of reasons – she began to build a family, but also to witness the birth of what would become her own, immediately recognisable artistic language. The mixture of clay and sand from the beach became her brand image. The result? Pieces full of texture in neutral tones with strategic daubs of colour. Always with an eye for the ornamental, she explores the versatility and decorative potential of everyday objects. They may be plates, cups, or mugs, but also jewell cases, soap dishes and napkin rings.

Last year was a turning point for the ceramist from Biarritz, a key figure in a wave of new businesses that breathed life into Rua dos Poiais de São Bento. She opened a new store and an atelier for workshops and residences two doors down. One could call it a ceramics empire, with a third space that is home for her studio. In December, workshops for adults and children take place from Monday to Wednesday.

@cecilemestelan

After ten years creating ceramic pieces across the Atlantic, in São Paulo to be more precise, Alex and Gabi upped sticks and moved to Portugal. They brought the family with them, but also Studio Neves, now installed in a large atelier, over towards Cascais.

Hundreds of plates, cups, jars and mugs are produced there for restaurants both Portuguese and otherwise. Alex Atala was the first to make the connection between the couple and fine dining. Over time – and as they established closer relations with the Brazilian chef – they specialised in creating pieces that went deeper into the art of the kitchen, a challenge that almost always begins with chefs and ceramists sitting down at the same table.

The focus is on utilitarian ceramics, but the colours, textures and finishes vary and result in a series of forms that are almost always developed exclusively for each client. A certain raw unevenness gives away the touch of the human hand in the process and is also the studio’s calling card, although the French market calls for something more refined. Without abandoning the grain and roughness, Studio Neves opened its doors to porcelain-making.

@studioneve

In 2016, Victoire de Lencquesaing exchanged Paris for an elegant flat in the Lapa area of Lisbon. Main Edition, the ceramics line that she brought in her luggage, also found a home in the Portuguese capital, in the store Somewhere a Process, where some of the pieces are for sale.

The starting, but also end point, is always the same: the hands. In tableware, bookends, soap dishes or decorative pieces ready to hang on the wall.

@main.edition