St. Lucas Higher Institute for the Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium
After a breather from 1989 to 1991, Rik Vandewege took up his inborn passion
for ceramics again. As a matter of fact, the main features of his overall
plastic vision strikingly come to the fore in his ceramics. His eye for reverse
models (plaster moulds) and the idea of carving graphic script on the clay surface
are recurring elements. As for his three-dimensional sculptures, Vandewege remains
consistent in his principle of "formal simplicity with complex elaboration".
In the eighties, his approach was still explicitly sculptural, and his 'compositions'
were assembled of clay sheets that did not join seamlessly. After 1992, the flawless
pot in its quality as an 'objet d'art' or object gained the upper hand again.
His pots are not turned on the potter's wheel; they are assembled with clay sheets
(sheeting technique). Rik Vandewege rolls out, kneads and moulds sheets of clay,
then cuts them up and shapes them into a larger form. The processing of clay
spontaneously gives rise to graphic expression, but he also adds new signs on
the clay surfaces. He then resorts to a reverse plaster mould to obtain a
positive clay model. He presses the scratched sheets of clay in the plaster mould.
Rik Vandewege clearly dissociates himself from functional ceramics by deliberately
leaving the holes and cuts that occur in the clay sheets. The firing technique-using
a double-walled gas kiln-is based on the actual processing of clay. Vandewege placed
a muffle in his kiln, a sort of refractory casing used to avoid contact between the
product and the flames or fumes while heating it up. In this way, he can use a
low-firing technique at a very high temperature (1,200° Celsius). In the muffle,
the pottery is coated with tainted silt and wrapped in hay. As a result of this
muffled firing in a low-oxygen atmosphere, a spellbinding spectrum of subtle mud
colours and shades appear on the rough surface of the pots, ranging from brownish
to light grey and dark, black hues. On the sides, faint traces of musical signs or
scores can be identified. As a ceramist, Rik Vandewege does not depart from his
principle of closely monitoring harmonious set-up and disposition. It is not
without reason that he gives the name of "still life" to his ceramics' compositions.
In an ascetic of ethereal environment, his creations are conducive to meditation and
contemplation. His archetypes, his primitive forms radiate originality and reflect
a trend towards asceticism. In essence, this work thrives on its ethnic or primitive
dimension, which echoes the authenticity of archaeological relics.
nr.1
right and middle 12x17.5cm
left 14.5x17.5cm
nr.2
12x17.5cm
nr.3
23x23cm
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