All images © Jacques Monneraud, shared with permission
At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that if any of Jacques Monneraud’s vessels were filled with water, they’d soak right through and split at the seams. And that’s exactly what the artist wants you to think! Incredibly, these vessels are made of clay.
Monneraud’s pieces appear lightweight and almost haphazard, as if repurposed quickly from corrugated cardboard. Of course, only meticulous attention to detail could result in such fantastic visual trickery. “I really liked the idea of being able to freeze fragility,” he tells Colossal.
The artist began working with ceramics only three years ago, establishing a studio in southwest France where he continues to experiment and expand upon his love for the medium. His new interest developed almost by chance, following something of a creative drought. He says:
I started as a graphic designer/illustrator and quickly became a creative director in an advertising company. During those years, I gradually drifted away from what I loved to do in the first place, which was creating. As someone who grew up in a family of artists and makers, I always pictured myself working with my hands someday. But here I was, spending hours in meetings discussing brand strategies. When I realized that, I decided that it was time to give this dream a try. After a few months searching for this “maker job,” I stumbled upon a video of someone working at the potter’s wheel. I was instantly hooked.
Monneraud immediately booked a workshop to learn the basics, and a few weeks later, he quit his job to pursue pottery full-time. Through the inherent process of trial and error, he learned and grew from failure. “I was unsuccessfully trying to obtain a specific glaze effect that I love, so I started thinking about a ‘raw collection’ made of unglazed pieces,” he says.
Researching and testing is an inextricable part of of Monneraud’s daily approach in the studio. Through an intuitive process of combining different types of clay and a variety of consistencies, he landed on a mix that evoked the texture of cardboard. He knew he was onto something when a friend visited his studio, and standing only inches from the work, asked, “Oh, you’re working with cardboard now?” Monneraud had achieved the exciting optical effect he was searching for. And the icing on the cake, so to speak, is the precise application of thin glaze, like a delicately-applied piece of clear tape.
Monneraud’s work will be on view during Saint-Sulpice Céramique in Paris from June 27 to 30. Find more on his website and Instagram.
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