An ORGANIC LANDSCAPE Ceramic artist Jan Ernst de Wet has fashioned a unique collection that speaks to his wonder with the natural world TEXT TRACY LYNN CHEMALY PHOTOGRAPHS GREG COX, JACOBUS SNYMAN, LAAIK
When a boy grows up on a farm, there’s often an unwritten expectation that he will one day tend the land himself. Although Jan Ernst de Wet was raised on farmlands from the Free State to the Eastern Cape, he does not play by such rules of tradition. In fact, he creates a fictional landscape of his own design, shaped by these immersive moments spent in nature. His land is a creative one, defined by whimsical forms of clay, inspired by caves, mountains, ocean creatures, plants and fungi. “Nature is everyone’s — it’s part of the human experience,” Jan says of his muse. This is perhaps the reason his ceramic work is captivating people even beyond our borders, with universal shapes portrayed in pieces such as Veld, Sea and Forest candelabras. Even his latest Womb collection expresses a natural occurrence understood by everyone: the narrative of birth. The shapes of these hanging lights and wall sconces mimic the Cederberg’s Stadsaal Caves — “Caves that gave life to some of the first people,” says Jan, connecting nature to the human experience. That the artist began his journey with ceramics just two years ago during lockdown and is now represented by four international galleries is a trajectory rarely seen in collectible design. It began with an entry into Nando’s Hot Young Designer competition
‘Nature is everyone’s — it’s part of the human experience’ 32
CLOUT 2022
