Thursday Salute to Originals: Science and Ceramics
Have you ever asked yourself what do art and science have in common? Sabri Ben-Achour is a ceramicist that uses Wabi-Sabi as his aesthetic when constructing each piece of pottery. Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese aesthetic based on a worldview centered on transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.”
Ben-Achour began working with pottery when he was 12 years old. As his age progressed, his talent and technical skill have developed into an outstanding gift: “I try to harness natural forces and properties of different materials in my work. Process becomes both form and aesthetic. It is a rejection of human influence.” All of Ben-Achour’s ceramics have a distinct style and it is evident that his influence is nature and all of its larger moving parts and tiny impactful organisms!
The perspective that Ben-Achour achieves is a reflection of his technique and scientific innovation. The audience can easily interpret the significance of his pottery. He developed a magnetic clay that adds depth and imperfection to his work. Also, Ben-Achour developed a technique known as electro-forming that creates copper crystals inside his ceramics that look like trees and add a natural feeling. This ceramicist is a genuine artist dedicated to defining his aesthetic even more. The artist states that in the near future he would like to incorporate living plant life into his work.
This Thursday we’re saluting Sabri Ben-Achour and his geological ceramics. Ben-Achour believes that all of his ceramics should serve a purpose. When not on display in a show, he has the piece at home with a use of its own. Another characteristic of his Japanese influence!
Sources: Sabri Ben-Achour, Art Insider, Washington Blade, Hinckley Pottery