Research into function, beauty and design led ceramicist Hugo Meert to create an entirely personal sphere of operation which oscillates between art and design, craft and industry. His passion for working with clay and porcelain pertains to continuous experimentation with ceramics. From a formal point of view, he walks the tightrope between sense and non-sense. While perpetuating ancestral technique and know-how, of which his mastery is remarkable, he never limits himself to technical virtuosity. In the last twenty years, this master of form and irony developed a famous collection of intruiging ceramics with a subtle touch of ‘terrar’. This commitment has won him many commissions and collaborations with famous contemporary artists. He is the recipient a number of prizes and awards in recognition of his work (including a Henry van de Velde quality label in 2005), and he teaches in a number of schools including ENSAV La Cambre. “Hugo Meert brings the frequently precarious position of ceramics taken up between arts and crafts to the point”
Text : Luk Lambrecht & Marie Pok