Unbroken: Bouke De Vries
Essay by ArtULTRA, featured in Unbroken, published to mark Bouke De Vries' first solo exhibition at the Fries Museum & Keramiekmuseum Princessehof in the Netherlands.
Insight by Alice Black
"Writing this piece has been one of the most unexpected of my undertakings with ArtULTRA, on so many levels. To begin with, I discovered Bouke’s artistic universe, his work with high profile fashion designers, his time spent as a conservator, and the multiple influences that nourish his practice. A ceramics restorer for many years, at the top of his game, repairing priceless artworks for collections that prize above all perfection, he became increasingly fascinated by the imperfections through which mistakes bear witness to the act of creation. In one of our discussions, he revealed to me that this fascination led him to become an artist himself, not just a conservator. He wanted to celebrate these imperfections and through his work of re-imagining objects, reflect on the accidents of life and creation. Bouke is a historian of sorts, he charts the story and history of objects through their fragments, which he then uses to create something new, unique and surprisingly exquisite.
It strikes me that Bouke’s practice is that of an alchemist. Working with broken ceramics perceived as worthless, he transmutes them into valuable, complete works of art. His subtle arrangements of fragments creates pieces that offer an insightful commentary on our conceptions of beauty, value, perfection and meaning."