Cécile Ribas
Ceramicist
Breda, Spain
The rhythmic balance of clay
- Cécile creates sculptures and sound installations in ceramics
- She incorporates rich local clays and holm oak wood ash into her pieces
- She views her craft as a healing practice that reconnects us with matter and nature
Innovative ceramics artist Cécile Ribas grew up in Ibiza, where she was captivated by the forms, rhythms and invisible forces of the sea, stars and landscapes. This experience motivated her to study fine arts in Valencia, specialising in sculpture, followed by postgraduate studies in art and education at the University of Barcelona, and a series of artistic residencies in Japan and Sweden. Cécile opened a ceramics workshop in the Catalan village of Breda to experiment with modelling and glazing techniques and to teach. In her latest pieces, she explores vibration, the invisible and the energy of being alive. “I seek forms that speak of the fluid and the organic. My pieces embody vital rhythms, what is felt but not always seen,” she says.
INTERVIEW
Creating with one’s hands requires a very strong act of presence. Through my experience, I have seen how the creative gesture becomes a healing practice. Connecting with the material connects us with the energy of matter and makes us present in life.
I work with traditional making techniques such as hand modelling and direct them towards the contemporary exploration of concepts such as vibration and sound. The ceramics-glass collaboration at RibasFrosum is innovative within the craft tradition.
The creative process, from the effervescence of the first ideas to the moment of connection with the material, when the hands move on their own and the mental noise disappears. I greatly enjoy teaching ceramics and watching my students discover their own creative voice, too.
I have recently been incorporating local clays into my pieces. It makes me happy that the soil of my surroundings is part of my creative practice. The nearby forests provide me with rich clays for modelling and the ash from the holm oak wood that heats my workshop becomes glaze. The connection with my surroundings forms part of my artistic practice and my way of being in the world. I choose natural materials and try to generate minimal waste.
