Miguel Angel Rodriguez & Izaskun Acosta

Ceramic art for the table

• Miguel and Kus design unique pieces
• Their work is used to showcase high-end gastronomy
• They are inspired by architecture and outsider art

Since 2016, ceramists Rodríguez Miguel Angel and Acosta (Kus) Izaskun have been creating ceramic pieces for high-end hoteliers in Donostia, the Basque Country, a region of Spain where there is a large concentration of Michelin-starred chefs. They claim to design pieces with soul and seek to create objects that showcase a setting for chefs. Their work can also be found in the store of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, where they make pieces inspired by the artists exhibiting in both the temporary and permanent exhibitions. They are inspired by Brutalist architecture, expressionism and outsider art. Miguel defines himself as an artisan who makes custom ceramic art.

Interview

© Knowme Gorkadelagranja

© Knowme Gorkadelagranja

What techniques do you feel most comfortable with?

Miguel: Lathe, modeling, laminating: but none of them at the same time. It is a millenary technique – one of the most difficult – so I feel like an apprentice in many ways. In fact, I am still an apprentice: always learning and always evolving.

Do you remember your first piece?

Miguel: The first pieces I made were trays to serve an Idiazabal cheese, three large plates for tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette) with drawings showing icons of the folkloric culture of San Sebastian, and a large olive tree to display at the bar of a new restaurant that opened in San Sebastian.

What secrets does your craft hold?

Miguel: The difficulty of working with organic materials, is that they are alive and you have to listen to them carefully to understand how they dry and do not crack. You have to handle the pieces every day to know when they are ready to go into the kiln.

Could your trade be considered endangered?

Miguel: Currently, I think it is recovering thanks to the influx of new artisans who come from other trades related to art and entertainment. The new concept of bespoke ceramics has opened up a world in which people are beginning to commission pieces that have soul and are handmade.

Miguel Angel Rodriguez & Izaskun Acosta are s: they began their career in 2000

Where