Miquel Barceló: Ceramics

Miquel Barceló’s new works – shown in his first exhibition of ceramics in London – reveal his inventive approach to the medium. One of the most renowned Spanish artists of his generation, ceramics have long been central to his practice, which also encompasses paintings, performances and installations. Inspired by ancient techniques from Mali and his native Mallorca, Barceló’s ceramic sculptures are captured in a moment of dissolution or becoming, a state of ‘continuous transformation’. They seem to evolve before our eyes into other forms: sprouting leaves, rippling with marine life or folding in on themselves.

The artist first began working with clay in the early 1990s, when he established a studio in Mali and was introduced to the ancient Dogon earthenware methods.