Hélène Rivière

Porcelain maker

Ceramics speaking the language of the invisible

Hélène sculpts poetry in porcelain
She blends traditional gestures with technical innovation
Time, space and light form the basis of her work

Hélène Rivière trained as a musician for years before deciding to take up ceramics. Her interest in this craft stems from her childhood, when she used to visit workshops with her grandparents in the pottery regions of Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye and La Borne, in France. Hélène studied ceramics with Thérèse Lebrun at the École des Arts d'Ixelles in Belgium. After graduating, she set up a small studio in her home, which was the starting point of her career as a ceramic sculptor. Porcelain and the constraints it imposes, particularly on her ephemeral moulds, offer Hélène a wealth of possibilities in which to develop her unique artistic style. Her work is born of contrasts and, even more so today, of the relationship between shapes, light and shadow.

Interview

Why did you choose the casting technique?: I create unique porcelain objects that bear the traces of the gestures and materials that brought them into being. My casting technique uses ephemeral moulds made from various materials such as fabric, cardboard and aluminium.
What attracts your attention the most?: The colour white, folds and traces of the past. These three concepts form the backbone of my work. White, because it is light and shadow. Folds, because they structure empty space and reveal a language of the invisible.
What role does time play in your approach?: Working with porcelain requires both time spent by me, the artist, and by the material itself. This is the case during drying and firing. This material calls for patience and humility.
What defines your practice?: I use the ancestral techniques of ceramics, and in particular I push the art of the mould to its limits. The innovation lies in the method used, magnified by the poetic uniqueness that inspires each of my creations.

Hélène Rivière is a rising star: she began her career in 2018