Et puis la mer se referme..., Circa 2025

Anne-Sophie Gilloen  

Working with the earth has always been a part of her life: from childhood, a relationship between her and the earth was formed that was both tender and tense. She loves clay, its feel, its smell, its flexibility, but also its demands.

Her career has gradually evolved from cultural action, with a puppet episode, to sculpture, allowing the self-taught artist time to train, still today, with countless potters. She regularly exhibits in galleries, participates in markets, fairs and ceramic festivals, in France, Belgium, the United States and the Netherlands.

“Clay quickly became a means of storytelling for me. I love stories, stories told, stories played out, stories drawn. They immediately evoke images and sensations in me, themselves fueled by my imagination. Thus, figurative expression has imposed itself throughout my creations.

The slowness of the coil modeling, the round and soft shapes that emerge from it, the textures of the stoneware, the pastel and matte colors of the engobe are all assets to suggest and give to the viewer the beginnings of its story. That's why I love the modeled characters, for their ability to tell without words and sometimes to overwhelm us with emotions. They remind us that sometimes we must tell stories and listen to ourselves to better enjoy life."

In real life, “people who are a little odd in their postures and bodies often turn out to be extraordinarily kind. And their physical anomalies say a lot: their flaws, if looked at carefully, can be magnified and become beautiful." Anne-Sophie GILLOEN observes the little things in life from a slightly different perspective. It is in this discrepancy that poetry can be born.