Jan-Ernst’s New Ocean Pop Collection

WORDS Robyn Alexander PHOTOS Supplied

Multidisciplinary artist and designer Jan-Ernst works primarily in clay, and his expressive forms and bold touch with colour are both beautifully expressed in his latest collection of ceramics, Ocean Pop, which launches at Merchants on Long on 22 October.

Organic in form? Check. Ocean-inspired? Check. Evocatively hued? Check. No two ways about it, Jan-Ernst’s new Ocean Pop collection of ceramics ticks all the boxes in terms of where ceramic design is at right now. “The Ocean Pop collection is an extension of the Octopus range I created for the opening of the Merchants on Long concept store in the V&A Waterfront,” explains Jan-Ernst, adding that that first body of work focused on the special particularities of the octopus, transmuting this remarkable creature’s key characteristics into collectible design items.

In addition, during that design process, the Oscar-winning Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher was first released. It “soon became a talking point for the work,” says Jan-Ernst. “For the first collection, I designed two life-size octopus candelabras and single-tentacle candlesticks.”

He adds that he and Sumendra Chetty, who is Merchants on Long’s fashion buyer, soon realised that the Octopus range was just the beginning of something bigger. “It made sense to extend the range with more fantastical creatures, since the first range captured people’s attention and sparked their imagination,” Jan-Ernst says.

And thus, the Ocean Pop collection was born. Different from the first range, it nevertheless remains true to its organic design aesthetic while going beyond its initial point of focus. Inspiration came from “sea sponges, kelp, corals, and newly discovered creatures that live on the ocean floor”. And in terms of colours for the glazes? “Knowing in advance that we would release the work in spring, using bold and bright colours made a lot of sense,” says Jan-Ernst. “In a time where everything is a bit gloomy, the work aims to bring delight and spark joy.”

For more information, visit jan-ernst.com and merchantsonlong.com

Looking for more on local art? Take a look at Gemma Orkin’s work.