Emmanuelle Lepic

Emmanuelle Lepic’s hand-built ceramics are inspired by the pots and vases depicted in historical paintings. She gives these two-dimensional objects a second life by recreating them in clay, bestowing movement and fluidity onto these previously insensate items.

A former Art History student at École du Louvre in Paris, Lepic begins the creation process by sculpting slabs of stoneware clay into a set shape. Beneath her touch, a corporeal presence emerges from the raw material: the delicate curve of a spine; an elegant neck; the fragile yet strong décolleté of a dancer.

Once inside the kiln, the vessels’ sensuality and fragility are fully realised as the different combinations of slips and glazes react with heat. What emerges is a form imbued with balletic grace and human vulnerability.

While some of Lepic’s sculptures dance alone, others form an ensemble piece. These expressive silhouettes interact with each other through movement, forming groups that tell a story through their intense bonds.

Emmanuelle Lepic lives and works in London.