Inspired by the rising and reborn being of the Anka, this work transforms the image of the bird into an abstract, fluid form rather than depicting it directly. Sharp curves evoking an upward-reaching body and wings carry a sense of ascent and transformation, while the surface in red and fiery tones strengthens the Anka’s mythological bond with fire. The form symbolises coming into being again after disappearance, and the constant transformation of life.
Taking the rebirth narrative of the mythological Anka (phoenix) as its starting point, the Anka Series explores the traces of transformation and memory through ceramic form. In the series the Anka moves away from its traditional depictions and becomes pared down; body, wing, neck and tail at times merge into a single fluid form, at times break apart and multiply, opening out into space.
Each sculpture is like a different state of the same being. The reds of fire, dark metallic surfaces and earthy browns represent the different thresholds between disappearance and renewed existence. The cracks, colour transitions and firing marks left on the ceramic surface are not hidden; instead they become part of the form as the memory of transformation.
In this series, therefore, rebirth does not mean the complete erasure of the past. With each transformation the Anka carries traces of its previous existence. It breaks, changes, takes shape again and rises.
Rather than a fresh start, the Anka Series is the story of becoming another existence while carrying the traces of the past.