artbl.a #7 - Carmen
For artbl.a #7, we stepped into the world of Kintsugi with Carmen (@crmnpots), gathering at Cernamic for a hands-on, exploratory salon. The evening began with an introduction to the history and philosophy of Kintsugi, before participants were guided through the process of creating their own repaired ceramic works.
Kintsugi — meaning “golden joinery” — is a centuries-old Japanese practice that repairs broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Rather than concealing damage, the process honours it, embracing imperfection as part of an object’s story. This edition of artbl.a foregrounded making as a form of connection, inviting reflection on resilience, transformation, and the beauty found in repair.
Dec 13, 2024
About Carmen
Carmen discovered pottery in late 2023, drawn to its grounding and meditative qualities. Guided by touch and intuition, her practice spans functional objects, hand-built forms, and experimentation with firing processes, with a primary focus on Raku, a ceramic technique rooted in Korea and later developed in Japan that embraces unpredictability and imperfection.
Alongside her work as a social advocate, pottery has become a practice of balance and reconnection, and through her studio-based Raku Club, Carmen fosters a space for experimentation, community, and shared discovery.
