Brigitte Arbelot

Ceramicist

©Brigitte Arbelot

Vessels around the void

Brigitte first worked as a veterinarian
She is inspired by meditation and dreams
Her work questions the essence of our humanity

After working as a veterinarian in Africa, France and Belgium, Brigitte Arbelot turned to ceramics. In 2017, she opened her own workshop in Brussels, where she focuses on ceramic sculptures and also makes utilitarian pieces. “I changed my life because working with clay is the best way to connect to my inner self and to the world,” she says. For Brigitte, her work acts as an interface between her consciousness and unconsciousness, the visible and invisible. She seeks links between immaterial emotions, vital energies and mineral matter. “The metamorphosis of clay during the working process allows me to give body to the notion of transformation and to question the essence of our humanity. My abstract sculptures are built like vessels around the void that is similar to the breath of life.”

Interview

©Brigitte Arbelot

©Brigitte Arbelot

What part of being a ceramicist do you enjoy the most?: Working the clay alone in my studio in a state of deep concentration, which is a form of trance or meditation. Meditative states of mind are an important source of inspiration, just like dreams.
What do you seek to achieve during your creative process?: Although I seek for harmony in the shape and glaze, I accept the unexpected and a form of imperfection. It is difficult to explain but during the long and precarious building process, there is a time when a piece acquires a life of its own, it is as if it starts to breathe.
Are you confronted with certain challenges that are not known by the general public?: Working with clay is a very technical and time-consuming job. It takes several weeks to carry out the building, drying, firing and glazing of my sculptures. Clay teaches you patience and humility.
Do you have any advice for young people who want to become ceramicists?: Be patient, the clay will shape you!

Brigitte Arbelot is a rising star: she began her career in 2019 and she started teaching in 2023