Molteni&C x Lisbon Design Week 2024 - Alan Louis

French designer and ceramist, Alan Louis creates a bold universe of objects and furniture with character. Attracted by duality, he combines minimalist forms with the extravagance of spikes, that aim to mirror our inner conflicts, often difficult to deal with: “people need to listen more to the spikes that they have inside”. 

Like the living sculptures he shapes, the contours and curves of Alan Louis`s objects evoke stories. It`s through this artisanal work of assembly, modelling, sculpture and the various firings that the object is revealed. From furniture - benches, tables, pedestal tables, consoles... - to design objects - lamps, vases and candlesticks... - chamotte sandstone meets wood in the new 2024 collection of Alan Louis.

Each piece is entirely handmade by the artist, signed and numbered in its workshops located in Portugal, in the Ribatejo. “With clay, everything is both possible and uncertain... When we plunge our hands into it, thoughts flow from your mind, creating images and shapes that slip through the fingers and infiltrate the material. Ideas materialise live. It`s magical. But during the firing in the kiln, it sometimes explodes, then comes the disappointment, and we want to stop everything. We tell ourselves that the clay doesn`t want us. We persevere and then it works. Over time, we tame it. It’s a material in motion until the object is fired and cooled. One day everything will line up perfectly and the next one nothing will work. With ceramics, we love each other and we hate each other. It`s that elusiveness that I like.”

“I discovered Molteni&C through the Servànt Showroom in Santos. For some years now, whenever I’ve walked past the showroom, I couldn’t resist stopping for a moment in front of the windows and looking inside. When they asked me to collaborate on this special exhibition, I was immediately drawn to the challenge. Since my artistic vision is to create with opposites and contrasts, I wanted to integrate my sculptural, brutalist touch with the pure, elegant lines of Molteni&C design. The aim of this collaboration is to show the viewer that differences can be merged. Handcrafted and handmade objects go well with sophisticated interiors."