Jeanne Sarah Bellaiche’s ceramic sculptures invite observers into a world where the traditional barriers of form and texture are blurred into an exquisite dance of materials. Her approach to sandstone challenges preconceived notions, as she masterfully transforms this seemingly crude material into ethereal and graceful forms. Eschewing the conventional perception of sandstone’s rusticity, Bellaiche draws inspiration from nature’s intricate designs like shells and molts. Her creations balance between the tactile and the visual, embodying a dialogue of opposites — rough yet refined, matte but lustrous. These dualities are not mere aesthetic choices; they are integral narratives woven into each piece, reflecting the complex beauty and fluidity of feminine forms in motion. With a process that involves black, white, and increasingly vibrant hues, Bellaiche breathes life into clay, shaping it with an artistry that is at once raw and sophisticated.
Bellaiche’s work is an homage to the timeless elegance of lace, an element she reinvents by incorporating into her sculptures. By doing so, she not only revives cultural traditions but also contemporizes them, creating pieces that are less static and more vibrant, embodying modernity while respecting their historical roots. Her choice to cook each piece at high temperatures adds an element of endurance and strength to her creations. Through this meticulous process, she retains the inherent roughness of sandstone, allowing the sculptures to maintain their character while achieving an unparalleled level of sophistication. Each piece is a testament to her passion for not just shaping clay, but for capturing and conveying the whimsical beauty of femininity — a theme that serves as an endless source of inspiration and exploration in her artistic journey.
After having long strived to a technical and classical mastery of enamel chemistry and the usual form, I finally returned to my first loves of modeling and turning. I am a shaper, a modeler. The choice of sandstone is intuitive, sensitive rather than technical. I like what’s left of the raw and frank thing about him, especially when he’s sluggished. I like the idea of giving to This clay has a look that is not the one traditionally given to it: instead of the heaviness and rusticity that is given to it, I try to take it towards lightness, the movement, finesse. It allows me to obtain a result that is not only sophisticated and delicate as porcelain would, it retains its roughness, its character. I model it, I turn it, I work it in plate, I imprint it, in black, white and more and more in color, I swallow it, I oxidize it, I enamel it or not. But I always cook it at high temperatures. I am inspired by shells, moults and shells, representation or evocation, playing duality: raw / refined, matt / shiny, material / smooth. The lace often present is considered as the symbol of ancestral traditions, delicacies outdated. Transposed on clay it can be diverted, reinvented, shaken. It seems ready to move, to unfold, less frozen, it is different, more alive, less delicate, rougher and more contemporary. From moults to shells, from Madame(s) to Goddesses, from suggestion to figuration, the feminine in motion remains as a common thread.
Jeanne Sarah Bellaiche
More info: Website, Instagram.
