Erika Rejka

Porcelain maker

©Zoltan Sipos

©Peter Lizicska

Links of China chain

Erika makes mobile structures and kinetic creations alongside her ceramics
She sees ceramics as cheerful, playful, flexible and open
She aspires to reach international audiences with her ceramic chain sculptures

Erika Rejka was first transfixed by the atmosphere of a pottery workshop during a visit to a relative when she was still a baby, she can still recall the scents and colours of it. She later became convinced that it was all just a dream – until she visited the relative again. Thus, a straight path led her to the Hungarian University of Applied Arts, where she first graduated as a silicate designer and ceramicist, later as a drawing and visual education teacher, and then obtained a DLA (PhD) degree. As she became more and more interested in the combination of ceramics with other materials, she also studied goldsmithing. Her most exciting works are kinetic sculptures in which she examines the possibilities of mobility by changing the shapes of the basic ceramic elements and the effect of combining them with different materials – resulting in truly unique creations and often jewellery pieces.

Interview

©Gabor Ariona Kudasz

©Peter Lizicska

When did you fall in love with this craft?: I’ve always wanted to do this. When I was asked in kindergarten what I wanted to be, I replied with full self-awareness that I would be a ceramicist. I love the textures, the scents, the surfaces and the shapes of it, and also that it provides endless opportunities.
How do tradition and innovation combine in your work?: I use the same technology of reproduction that is used in factories, but the way I use porcelain is different. For example, I sometimes use 3D printing, and I mainly make mobile structures from the material, where I study the relationship between shapes and mobility.
What is the hardest part of your job?: Sourcing the right materials: I had to find a strong porcelain that best suited my projects, that I could colour properly, and that I could use at home. Another difficulty is the consistency of a colour. For example, if a dye is discontinued I have to research other ways of producing exactly the same colour and density – or look for a new colour harmony.
What inspires you the most?: I like to set directions and goals for myself, but there are fantastic colleagues in Hungary and abroad whose work is very inspiring and drive my development. Contemporary jewellery, textiles and sculpture also inspire me a great deal, as does teaching: I learn as much as I teach.

Erika Rejka is a master artisan: she began her career in 2004 and she started teaching in 2006