PAPER CLAY STRUCTURES:
MAGDOLNA TOTH & CRISTINA MATO
Born in Budapest, Magdolna Toth has practiced art her whole life. Her work is a form
of self-expression, guided by curiosity, and her studio is a space into which she retreats
in order to experiment.
After thinking about pursuing fashion, she settled into clay as a material, and the love affair has lasted all her adult life. After graduating she worked in the architectural industry in Hungary while creating functional ceramic pieces for big European clients.
The Bell
In 2008, Toth and her family moved to Ireland, and her work with clay evolved
into a more artistic space. She also began an enquiry into incorporating recycled materials into her work.
The pieces by Toth included in the Cluster Crafts digital exhibition and online store
are three-dimensional ceramic webs and networks made with paper clay, a material well suited to her designs because it holds a firm, supporting structure much better than regular clays. The process of creating the works is very labour intensive and all done by hand.
Black Orb
Orb
“I begin with rolling of long, thin coils, cutting them to a certain size, attaching them to each other. Then I compile the basic form:
a tetrahedron, which is attached at the top and the bottom
to the next one, the six tetrahedrons then form a hexahedron,” explains Toth. “It is a very time consuming, monotonous and also a meditative activity. It teaches focus and endurance, also humility and patience.
The outcome is very airy and light structure.”
To begin with, Toth used just black and white materials; creating pure forms with pure colours.
She has recently begun to experiment with flashes
of colour in the pieces to emphasise the shapes.
“The feeling of clay's materiality is very relaxing.
It’s no surprise that all children are attracted to playing with it. I build different shapes that reflect my feelings, impressions, and different emotions.”
Toth is fascinated by looking for the connections between complex things. She explores how society, technology and nature are all link in overlapping and intricate ways, or how nerve pathways and networks of molecules
are linked in networks within the body.
Societies are also networks of people, connected
by family, friendship and professions.
The Bell | click for full image
Porcelain & Black Paper-clay Orbs
“I have long been obsessed with the idea that everything is interconnected. When I am building my sculptures connecting links, the nodes symbolise the complex system of our lives and our environment. I am driven by curiosity.”
Not a Vase
Mato describes her work with clay as being
her interpretation of sewing. Like Toth,
she chooses to work with paper clay, which enables
her to push her pieces to interesting limitations.
Spanish artist Cristina Mato has been working
with clay since 2010. She also creates geometric sculptures with thin ribbons of paper clay. Her pieces
are reminiscent of the structures that once held up corsets and clothing. Rigid shapes, that seem to reflect
and hug the soft contours of a body.
“I started ceramics as a hobby 15 years ago
and immediately knew that it was my calling. I come
from a family of tailors and seamstresses, so craft
has always been very important in my life. The process
of making something with your own hands is therapeutic and the result brings great satisfaction.”
Orbit
“The thin slabs of clay are the fabric, which I cut
into threads to build structures full of seams, very much like a seamstress working at her mannequin.”
Mato uses balloons to build her work around and this leaves the curves
in the work. When the clay hardens and is strong enough
to hold the shape, she pops the balloons inside.
“For a brief period, my pieces stand proud and symmetrical,
ready to face the kiln, which will make them more humble
and carry out its magic to give them movement and flow.”
Mato uses colours to help accentuate patterns and shapes she forms.
But her choices are restrained and limited.
Tirante
Works by Cristina Mato and Magdolna Toth are available
through the Cluster shop.
Gravity
“I am very cautious with colour. At the beginning, I didn’t use any,
but I have been gradually introducing colours to my palette:
black and orange, and more recently, blue. Colour helps define
the pattern and adds drama to the composition,” she says.
“I want to think that my pieces tell a story, in the way they stand
and in their relation to each other. I hope the viewer gets that message. And, if that is not the case, at least I hope to trigger a sense of wonder and curiosity.”
Thank you for reading,
Katie De Klee & Cluster Team.