Bente Skjøttgaard

Ceramicist

Gravity-defying glaze

Bente explores and challenges the possibilities of clay
She plays on our perception of gravity and mass
She uses glazes for surfaces but also for form-making

Bente Skjøttgaard is an experimental ceramicist who explores the wonders of working with clay. Her work investigates nature’s creative energies such as heat, mass and air, and its forces such as gravity and rebuilding. Bente makes ceramic works that span shapes from the seas to the skies. To her, clay is the symbolic source material of all creation. In her approach and process, she plays with the balance of mastering and un-mastering the material, constantly pushing acquired techniques to gain new ground. Bente's signature works produce sensations that are unfamiliar, wondrous, and at times even disturbing.

Interview

How do you address harmony in your work?: Harmony is essentially balance, and balance is key when working with clay. This is especially true when building my pieces, to avoid them tipping over when the clay turns soft again during the firing phase. However, I find disharmony more interesting; it can create such energy.
What distinguishes your glaze?: My glaze is as much form as it is surface. I play with its physicality to work figuratively with the glaze. I challenge the laws of gravity and strive to create weightlessness by mimicking the clouds and by imitating the floating beings of the deep sea.
What inspires you the most?: I am inspired by nature: from microcosmic molecular structures to intangible weather phenomena such as storms, clouds and waves. I use these to unfold and express the poetic and dramatic potential of clay.
What should clay be able to do?: Clay has the fantastic ability to be perpetually transformed into something new and meaningful. You never reach the end of possibility with clay. For me, a piece is successful if it has vigour and energy. It must never be dull.

Bente Skjøttgaard is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1986