Lisa Liebermann

I am a narrative potter. I use clay and glaze to express myself in a conceptual way. My parents were Sammy and Mary Liebermann. They were pioneers in studio pottery in South Africa. I have lived all over the country, growing up in Jhb, having a family in Capetown and Plett, moving back to Jhb and recently coming back to Cape town. I have also lived in Pretoria and Kenton on Sea. Throughout my travels my work with clay and glaze has been consistent although varied. I have a love of tiles and I make moulds and cast my own range of tiles. I am currently working at the Liebermann Pottery studio in Kommetjie. I work with my cousin, Adriaan Turgel, he took over Liebermann Pottery after Sammy died in 1984. Sometimes my work has taken me more into production, other times special orders have dominated. These would include tile panels and splashbacks, house numbers, landscapes. Commemoration pieces, plates and vases have also featured, some of the pieces are in keeping with birth plates made by Magda, the old polish lady who decorated Magda rounds in the seventies and eighties. In the early days I was trained as a decorator in the Pottery. I studied fine arts at Wits and at Unisa. I learnt Chinese brushstroke at an early age and worked on a factory line painting flowers. I now explore themes suggested by astrology on bottles that I throw and handbuild. I explore relationships and current events. Even though I grew up in a traditional pottery my work is untraditional, my forms have wobbles and my subject matter is complex. I often work for a long time on one piece. In a production setting this would be frowned upon and so I feel excited and privileged to see the humble pot be treated as an art work.

Born 1969 in Worcester, England, United Kingdom