Name: Black bowl
Brand: Atelier Hô
Price: 25.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

MEET THE ARTIST

MAÏLYS HÔ - ATELIER HÔ

ATELIER HÔ

Ceramicist, Toulouse (31)

Maïlys Hô describes her ecological approach to ceramics, and transports us into her world where dance and architecture are interconnected.

See his Artist page All ceramics

Tell us your story, how did your vocation come to you?

After studying architecture at ENSA Paris-Belleville and UQAM in Montreal, I worked for a few years in an agency before setting up my own architecture firm in 2016. I have focused my practice on supporting individuals in their construction or renovation projects.

In 2017, during a trip to the Moroccan desert near the village of Tamegroute in the Drâa Valley, I discovered earthen architecture and this material in particular, omnipresent in Moroccan culture. My exploration of clay initially began through architecture and then quickly progressed to pottery.

This discovery feels like a homecoming. It resonates with my childhood, in the ceramics workshop where I molded clay every week. From that time, a bowl, a horse, and a box remain. Years have passed away from the earth, learning a great deal; dancing intensely and regularly; thinking about spaces and volumes and touching materials through architectural practice.

Today, ceramics is part of my daily life, allowing me to synthesize these experiences and demonstrating that it's possible to build bridges between these related disciplines through gesture. The gesture is precise, measured, repeated, intuitive. It's an approach to movement that, through the creation of form, interconnects dance and architecture.

After internships with the talented Ingrid Van Munster and Nina Rius among others, I continue my exploration as a self-taught artist.

How would you describe your style, your artistic approach, in a few words?

My pieces are dedicated to interior use, and more specifically to tableware. In each of my creations, I seek a balance between graphic line and architectural form. I work with black chamotte stoneware, Saint-Amand stoneware, or wild clays collected in the Toulouse region.

Each form is born from an intuition followed by research, which I primarily materialize on the lathe. This tool allows me to shape the majority of my work. My architectural practice leads me to draw, so I've developed the habit of sketching my pieces before shaping them. These are profiles executed quickly, mostly in cross-section.

Furthermore, I've developed a need to sculpt by hand using the coil technique. This allows me to appreciate the extended time and a certain letting go, essential for creativity. Evenings are conducive to these moments of creativity. In these times, I don't sketch; I switch off my brain and let my gestures express themselves.

What themes or subjects inspire you most in your work?

I like to be as close as possible to living things, to reuse natural organic materials as much as possible, to feel the mineral quality in my pieces. What deeply inspires me is the presence of raw materials, rock, and roughness.

The colors and textures I develop evoke sometimes the oxidized surfaces of Breton ports, sometimes the mineral and plant nuances discovered during mountain hikes. My Vietnamese roots also inform my approach, in the search for precise forms and balanced functions.

How do you work?

I work in a small, 9-square-meter room adjoining my house in Toulouse, which opens onto my garden. There's no heating or running water. It's very spartan and rudimentary, a bit harsh in winter and during the recurring heatwaves, but it suits me, at least for now. It allows me to continuously incorporate the recycling of clay and glaze into my practice.

Technically, I have two buckets for cleaning/washing the clay and three buckets for cleaning the glaze. After a few weeks/months of use, I can collect the material that has settled at the bottom of the fullest bucket and reuse it for recycling. This way, I generate virtually no waste and use almost no water.

Do you have a particular technique, a specific expertise? Without revealing all your secrets, have you developed your own methods and techniques?

More and more, I'm exploring simple glazes made from wood ash or oyster shells. I experiment a lot; it's a long process, but it's fascinating. I also collect wild clays in the Haute-Garonne region, to reuse them as earthenware fired at low temperatures and as slip on stoneware fired at high temperatures. Going to the source, with a shovel, boots, and a bucket in the heart of nature, makes perfect sense to me.

Furthermore, I strive for extreme finesse and lightness in the Saint Amand stoneware pieces I shape on the potter's wheel. I greatly appreciate the rigor, precision, and concentration that this entails.

Tell us about your daily life, your constraints, your joys, your successes…

I often find myself alone in the studio, and it brings me a great deal of serenity. I need solitude in my practice; it soothes me. Since the studio is connected to the garden, I can work outside when the weather permits, which is a real pleasure. However, I also need to exchange ideas and connect with other artisans, so I sometimes organize pop-up sales with my colleagues. It's always joyful and stimulating to share these moments. This sometimes sparks wonderful ideas for professional collaborations.

The most challenging aspect for me is communication, positioning, and marketing. It's a real profession in its own right, and I'm not trained for it, so I'm seriously considering delegating this part to a professional.