Cavus Collection by Jan Ernst

Inspired by the arid landscape of the Karoo, Jan Ernst’s Cavus Collection explores the language of hollows, ridges, and recesses carved by the elements and the passage of time.

WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Marguerite Oelofse INTERIOR Anette de Jager 

The Karoo’s open plains, shifting light, rugged escarpments, and resilient flora have long served as a source of reference and inspiration for the sculptural lines in Jan Ernst‘s latest collection. “Childhood journeys along its gravel roads and through its orchards, combined with last year’s renewed exploration, allowed me to translate the Karoo’s stillness, hidden textures, and contemplative emptiness into sculptural form,” he says.

From an early age, the Surrealist movement and the work of Walter Battiss shaped the designer’s visual language, encouraging him to see the world as both tangible and imagined. “In Cavus, these influences surface subtly in forms that feel both organic and slightly otherworldly,” explains Jan. “The collection is about uncovering hidden spaces – within the land, within memory, and within ourselves. Each piece carries the weight and quiet poetry of the Karoo, inviting a slower, more contemplative way of experiencing form and light.”

Each piece in the collection – sculpted primarily in white stoneware, and also available in terracotta and black clay – engages in its own dialogue with the Karoo. The table light, inspired by the acacia seed, captures nature’s subtle geometry; the armchair echoes the undulating profiles of the Karoo hills; the cabinet draws from the hollows carved into rock floors; the tables are inspired by the mighty Fish River; and the pendants capture the interplay between clouds and landscape.

Together, the pieces form a collection that feels unearthed rather than made – an invitation to look inward, to dwell within the carved spaces of matter, memory, and imagination.

The Cavus Collection will debut at Objects with Narratives, Brussels, in November 2025. | jan-ernst.com

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