Frozen glazes and organic patterns
- Teresa pursues bold sculptural designs
- She sculpts with touch and allows tactility to lead
- Her signature thick glazes freeze liquids in motion
Teresa Berger's journey with clay began in her childhood, when her aunt introduced her to ceramic workshops. At the Herbststrasse School of Art, Fashion and Design, Teresa first trained in textile art and worked briefly in graphics before realising her passion lies elsewhere. "After quitting graphic design, I went on to study product design at the Design Academy Eindhoven and graduated in 2018. I then spent a year working in design studios in Copenhagen, where I gained valuable insights that still feed my practice today," Teresa says. In 2019, she returned to Vienna to establish her own studio. Since then, Teresa has built a practice that combines hands-on craftsmanship with design. "I want my ceramics to reflect both my experimentation and commitment to my chosen medium," she says.
Interview
- How did your style evolve?
- I began designing tableware but was drawn to the tactile world of ceramics. Over time, I moved from functional dishes to large sculptural pieces and vases. Workshops, experimentation and collaborative online courses helped me discover new ways of using glazes, which truly defined my signature style.
- What inspires your designs?
- I am deeply inspired by nature, especially water and corals. Their textures, rhythms and organic growth patterns influence both the shapes and surfaces I create in clay.
- How do you prepare your glazes?
- My work centres on thick glazes that drip and transform unpredictably in the kiln, freezing movement into form. I also document countless glaze experiments in notebooks and even tested recipes with AI. While it does not create perfect formulas, it sparks new ideas and pushes me to explore innovative possibilities.
- What are your biggest challenges?
- Clay as a material can be unforgiving. Weeks of work may crack unexpectedly, or half a production batch can fail in the kiln, which makes deadlines and commissions particularly stressful.
Teresa Berger is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2013 and she started teaching in 2020
Where
Teresa Berger
