Earthenware from Tegelen
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Niek Hoogland: Tegels Aardewerk / Earthenware from Tegelen
Anyone growing up in the UK as I did in the second half of the last century will know the popular biographical television show called This Is Your Life. In the programme, a well-known individual is caught off-guard by the presenter and then taken back to the studio to be guided through a retrospective of his or her life through the medium of “the big red book”, with guest appearances from colleagues, friends and family.
Although it might not be a big red book, in many ways Niek Hoogland: Tegels Aardewerk / Earthenware from Tegelen provides an unsentimental testament to the life and work of the Dutch slipware potter Niek Hoogland and was published to coincide with his major solo exhibition in his hometown of Tegelen in the Netherlands to celebrate forty years in the profession.
In essence, the book not only serves as an exhibition catalogue of his recent work and an insightful photo reportage of Niek Hoogland’s life as a slipware potter, it also provides a textual and pictorial survey of the broader influences of slipware ceramics in general. There is an instructive essay by Jos Schatorjé (in Dutch), which eloquently discusses the traditional slipware history of the Lower Rhenish region and the area around the town of Tegelen where Niek Hoogland has spent his entire life, and how these dynamic ceramic traditions (and people) have influenced the development of his work. The comprehensive biographical contributions by Adri Gorissen (also in Dutch) are both thoughtful and perceptive. They are based on various interviews he held with Niek Hoogland, before transcribing them into absorbing commentaries that manage to engage directly with the reader. After reading them, you will certainly be left with a better understanding of the man and his work. The third text (in English and Dutch) was provided by myself and was originally published in the international ceramics magazine New Ceramics/Neue Keramik. I trust it offers a qualified introduction and does justice to this very special potter.
Most importantly, the book documents what it is like living and working at the pottery, not only through his work, but also through personal photos and notebooks. It is unpretentious and easy flowing. It is colourful and captivating, satirical and sharp-witted without being cynical. Above all, it radiates warmth and generosity: attributes that very much summarise the man himself. All in all, it is an extremely well-balanced publication and compliments should go to the entire graphic design team, Studio Denk, and the photographer, Peter de Ronde, who have all done an excellent job.
Other than thoroughly recommending this book, perhaps it is fitting to finish with a quote from Niek Hoogland himself. When asked about what four decades of pottery have meant to him, he ponders a while before naming three things. Firstly, despite perhaps only having a vague knowledge of the region’s earthenware tradition, the local community in Tegelen continues to have an earnest appreciation of ceramics and the town’s ceramic heritage. The fact that he is still often asked to make commemorative plates and personalised pots by local people confirms that he is very much part of this community, something that is very dear to him. Secondly, he cherishes the deep sense of collegiality and generosity among the potter community at large. And, last but not least, he admits that he has always thrived on the freedom that working with clay gives him, to be creative, to experiment and to express himself, much more so than with any other material he knows.
In many ways, this summarises precisely what this book conveys: community, collegiality and freedom of expression.
Neale Williams
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287 x 234 mm
157 pages (illustrated throughout)
Niek Hoogland: Tegels Aardewerk / Earthenware from Tegelen can be purchased in the Netherlands from Boekhandel Koops in Venlo and Keramiekmuseum Tegelen, or directly from:
Pottenbakkerij Hoogland
Parkstraat 11B
5935 BM Steyl-Venlo
The Netherlands
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