Chawan and tea objects

In the apparently limited and elementary confines of the bowl that lovingly surrounds the Void, the creator-ceramicist is walking an ancient path in search of a new and different experience.

Embodied in a gesture that is as spontaneous as possible, we find a constantly repeated pursuit in search of asymmetry, natural material effects, and poetry.

Paintings and sculptures 

Patrice Bongrand also creates relief paintings and sculptures by combining different materials: ceramics, iron, copper and deadwood.

The chawan, a rich Japanese tradition

In Japan, the chawan (tea bowl) is inseparable from the tea ceremony practice.

During the Momoyama period, in the second half of the 16^th century, Sen no Rikyū elevated the principles of the chanoyu (literally “hot water for tea”) practice to its highest level. He asked several potters to create bowls in harmony with the principles of frugality, sobriety, rusticity and naturality.

Japanese “chawan” bowls are nothing like symmetrical Western bowls: they are often asymmetrical, and sometimes even “veiled” with an upper lip in motion. We can rotate them, discovering that each side expresses something different.

More an object of contemplation than a utilitarian container, a chawan, dedicated to the tea ceremony in Japan, must be in keeping with the season and the practitioner’s feelings. This is why there exist many styles, shapes and aesthetic aspects. For example, summer bowls are more open and joyful, while winter bowls have a more vertical edge (to conserve heat) and are more austere and rustic.

For his bowls, Patrice Bongrand has mostly focused on autumn and winter shapes because they better reflect his quest for rusticity and sober-mindedness. In addition, anagama wood kiln firing provides these bowls with a superb and rare patina that gives them their UNIQUE character.