i’ve been meaning to write about xavier toubes, but i could never find the words. after seeing his exhibit at galerie de witte voet though, i just couldn’t postpone it any longer. everyone knows i have this thing for ceramics, inherited from my mother’s backyard pottery to my in laws’ meissen.
to delve into m. toubes’ work is a journey, his exploration of the medium is like a spiritual awakening. though his work plays on very simple elements, his understanding of the complexities of form and finish is incredibly refined. this search for meaning is personified in his ceramics. the culmination of the archaic forms and the eternal elements come together in an alchemical process to reveal a depth that is both expected and surprising. like opening a door to a universe of dichotomy; solid becomes liquid, matt becomes gloss, naivety becomes sophistication and colour goes everywhere. the connection with the 50’s european artistic ceramic experiments is quite vivid although xavier’s work introduces a more mythic aspect, a moment out of time and disconnected, which is the miracle that he understands and portrays through his works; the natural character of the process.