Michael Geertsen (1966) has already exhibited at PULS in 2001, and now he is back for the second time. In the meantime his career has been booming, with exhibitions all over Europe and in the United States, and with his participation in the big Danish exhibition “From the Kilns of Denmark”, which toured the United States. His work is also represented in the permanent collections of a.o. the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.
At Puls he will show his trademark colourful wall and self-standing sculptures. These are made up of vessel parts, but are not vessels in themselves. He cuts up vessel elements such as bowls, beakers, cups, vases, arcs, rings and cylinders – the exact origin of these shapes remains unclear- and rearranges them into energetic, kinetic assemblages. By doing so, he is directing the eye of the viewer from one component to the next. Their rhythmic quality is crucial. Geertsen: “My objects are simple geometrical elements put together in staggered split levels, like rhythmic, spatial symbols containing traces of our everyday functional objects.” Prettiness is not a major concern for Geertsen: “In my freestyle ceramic pieces, what interests me is the place where functional pieces and sculpture meet. In their studies of basic shapes, my objects make reference to classical ceramics, but in form and colour so that it challenges both space and the viewer. I believe that ceramics, both functional objects and one-offs, have a function as contemporary statements. They are pictures of our social conventions, our way of life, and our rituals in a given epoch”.