Expo

Modern Shapes is pleased to present Lucien Petit

OPENING May 17 in presence of the artist
from 17:00 to 23:00
with drinks & food

EXHIBITION from May 17 till June 10
Thursday - Friday - Saturday - Sunday
From 13:00 to 18:00

MODERN SHAPES GALLERY
Kloosterstraat 16
2000 Antwerpen

Born in 1957 in Sancerre, Lucien Petit lives and works in Boisbelle, a village near La Borne, France. Trained in the techniques of ceramics, very eraly on he associates the interior to his personal work, an image recurring in all of his work. His work develops an interest in architecture, construction and the broader theme of receptacles, structured by the binary opposites of full and empty, form and counter-form, elevation and collapse, convex and concave, mineral and organic. His most recent works evolving between anthropomorphism and abstraction, are part of the tradition of simple shapes of sculptors who have been able to mark the modern history of La Borne. Set in a space and installed on the ground, these sculptures act as the protagonists of a silent piece reminiscent of the monoliths of a constantly changing landscape. Never frozen, it is always likely to be reconfigured or connected to other objects or foreign organic elements. 

Sophie Auger-Grappin 

"The work that I have been producing for the past ten years or so is very much based on an exploration of a concept for wood-fired sculptures. I had already been practicing ceramics long before I began this work and had experience of many different techniques. I was introduced to wood fire ceramics in the 1980's when I first went to la Borne, with its strong tradition of wood-fired stoneware. I do not yet have a wood fire kiln of my own but intend to build one very soon. A new type of kiln. After almost forty years of practice. I currently fire my sculptures in the 3m2 anagama kiln at the Centre Céramique de La Borne and have firings approximately three or four times a year. My work is fired in the centre of the chamber. My firings are long, generally five days, at temperatures between 1320° and 1350° C. I use about 12 cubic metres of wood. oak and hornbeam of different sizes, in each firing. The impact of fire is very important tot the outcome of my work. I make my own clay body mixing different grogs, local clay and additional quartz and feldspar. I sometimes add mineral material to the outer surfaces. Most of my pieces are covered with slips composed of alumina mixed with more or less soft porcelains depending on the desired result and their placement in the kiln."

Photography by Jean Frémiot