Ábel Lakatos

Ceramicist

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All about duality

Ábel relies on his dual point of view: the graphic designer and the artist
He is inspired by others and relishes working in a community workshop
He fell in love with wood-fired pottery during a Japanese study trip

Ábel Lakatos graduated from the University of West Hungary with a degree in typography and packaging design. It was during a summer internship that he fell in love with ceramics. “In the internationally renowned Kecskemét Ceramics Studio, we built a 5-metre-high furnace sculpture together with internationally renowned ceramic artist Nina Hole. We set it up on the main square of the city, fired for three days, working on it with our bare hands – it was then that I realised that unlike other design disciplines that I have been working with, ceramics is alive and intense, and is in constant physical contact with elements.” After university, he worked as a graphic artist for some time. Later Ábel had the opportunity to work as Head of Ceramics Department at the Ferenc Medgyessy High School in Debrecen, which allowed him to devote his full attention to ceramics. His pieces are popular commodities at fairs and design shops, but he also cooperates with a Hungarian muesli manufacturer because his pieces – colourful, playful but always highly functional – are ideal accessories in any modern kitchen.

Interview

How do you think your work differs from other ceramic artists?
I have always had a kind of double-edged state of mind: on the one hand, my work is permeated by design thinking – especially in my porcelain objects, where function and form are the most important aspects. But at the same time I make wood-fired pieces, where handicrafts, raw materials, the unpredictability of firing, the artistic approach are of decisive importance.
Why is woodfiring so close to your heart?
Woodfiring pieces have a mixture of spiritual, emotional and historical relevance to me – these products, made in series of just a few pieces, truly carry the character of the locality, the "genius loci."
Does teaching play an important role in your life?
I am a teacher who is happy to pass on all my knowledge, every detail, because I feel that not only do I inspire the students, but they inspire me. That’s why I don’t mind the growing popularity of the ceramics profession which we’ve witnessed in recent years – the market decides who is best.
What are your plans for the future?
I would like to buy my own plot of land, where I can set up my own wood-fired furnace, and where I will have the opportunity to experiment more. I would like to hold workshops there as well. In the meantime I’m working on a new set of porcelain that will be even more colourful than my previous collections.

Ábel Lakatos is a master artisan: he began his career in 2006 and he started teaching in 2015