Lubloy Zoltan is an independent artist in Hungary. His main interest is ceramics. Currently, he is teaching at Hungarian University of Art and Design in Budapest. He told us why Hungarian people rarely buy pretty objects.

You design pottery – why did you get interested in this area?

For a long time I did not know what I should like to do in my life. I knew the things I did not want. I always liked to draw so I went a high art school. Then I chose ceramics because it contains all art fields, like drawing, sculpturing, printing. In my opinion ceramics is a great field because with so few techniques everybody can make unique pieces. What I like in ceramics is that the material never lies and it never allows to be forced to lie. It has its own characteristics, you can always change during creating, it is strict and permissive at the same time.

What inspires you?

I like organic forms, so lots of my objects have organic influence. I do not believe that life is strict, metric; so I think I should make forms that are closer to human nature: playful, asymmetric, organic and vivid.
Nowadays sculpture inspires me even more than nature, even more than non figurative sculptors. When I am designing a piece I am trying to imagine it as a sculpture. Form makes interest.


Who are your customers?

So far I have sold only a few thing of mine because I do not have many of them and I usually make something and I do not care to sell it. Sometimes I kid with it, I create objects as a „hobby”. Of course it not totally true, but my strategy is to make, at the beginning, a lot of objects and then smash an exhibition that will take customers.

The people who have bought anything from me show a very mixed customer background. I think I make something different and it shares the market; so buying is based on emotions.

Tell us something about working on your projects. Who produces them? Something about the technical side.

As far as I am concerned, I make all of my projects myself because it is easier and cheaper and less frustrating. Sometimes I have a possibility to produce in a porcelain factory, but it is rare.



Your work at the university – what is it like? What do you teach to your students?

At the university I am a technical teacher ( in the plaster workshop ), I teach mould making.

Is it difficult to combine this work with your artistic activity?

Sometimes difficult, because the students take time and make you tired physically and mentally as well. But it is nice as well because you are at a place where ideas come. Teaching means to me: you are young and your brain will be fresh, so you will not do think like others who do not change artistically. The saying is true: when you start to teach something you will learn that thing better. This is a big advantage of it.

At present I hardly work during the semester, only at night and in summer vacation or during the lessons with the students.

You are an independent artists – would you like to work for a design company where you could realize your projects?

I would like to work in other countries because Hungary is a small country, and it has small possibilities, small market. I have to make my portfolio to go to design companies first, and I should complete my PhD course.


You think that in order to have your own company it is first necessary to promote your products properly. What does that mean? What should a professional site of an artists look like?

I think promotion is very important. Yet in Hungary the mass culture means culture that is worth commercially. Televisions, magazines show bad fitted flats, unfortunately they are the ambassadors of bad taste. On the other hand, it is not too bad, but generally the people do not have money and motivation to buy nice and charming objects. If they do, they buy  something extremely expensive from a well known designer just to show their financial power.

But promotion costs a lot, so if someone wants to do it, they need money for it. By the way, I am a design manager too, so for me it is a little bit easier, but on the other hand, even more difficult. To promote someone else better than yourself...