Anna Tou
In her studio, Anna Tou’s ceramics bridge the gap between the tangible and the intangible, blurring the line between art and craftmanship. Her work is an ode to the material and revisits the natural properties of clay.
Anna Tou is a ceramic designer with a background in letter design. She obtained her Diplôme des Métiers d’Art (DMA) at the École supérieure des arts graphiques Estienne. To complete her studies, she studied motion design at the Gobelins School, which allowed her to merge creativity with technology. Now based in Brussels, she works as a freelance designer, collaborating with brands in fashion and gastronomy on branding and visual design projects. Alongside this, her professional experience has expanded through various graphic design and art direction projects. During a two-year stay in Toronto, Canada, Anna discovered ceramics, an art that would become central to her career. Trained by Japanese ceramicist Joni Moriyama, she quickly developed a passion for the craft. Once back in Brussels, she enrolled at the Academy of Arts to refine her ceramic skills. Driven by a desire to practice her knowledge, she set up her own studio in her house, where she creates her pieces while sharing her passion through workshops and training sessions.
"In our generation, everything is instant: you can order food and have it in thirty minutes. With ceramics, it’s like returning to an ancient technique, creating objects we can use ourselves. It’s an incredible experience to give meaning back to making, rather than giving in to quick consumption and immediate purchases.”
Anna Tou believes that working with clay can restore our connection to nature. At the heart of her practice, clay becomes a living material, a witness to human existence and humanity. Inspired by her heritage from western France, she reminisces about ancient stones to capture the present and the past. This return to the source becomes a form of active meditation, where the mind finds freedom through the material. In Anna's studio, there is no phone signal, offering a space for complete disconnection. Here, she welcomes fellow enthusiasts, creating a place to share knowledge, where everyone can step away from modern-day pressures and reconnect with earth and creativity.
Anna Tou mainly works with stoneware and porcelain. These high-fired clays are coated with a transparent glaze that reveals the natural color of the clay underneath. At the heart of her work is the act of creation, with each piece defined by her unique hammering technique, which has become her signature style. This reflects her aim to leave a lasting impact. Her creations reflect the influence of her background in typography and graphic design. She approaches clay as a canvas on which can be tattooed, carving lines that initially highlight the joining of different pieces of clay. These linear engravings have evolved into a distinctive graphic motif, resembling a pattern or visible seams that can be compared to elements seen in fashion.
Eager to explore further collectible design, Anna Tou goes beyond the creation of functional objects, challenging the traditional separation between art and craft. “A cup can just as easily sit on a shelf as a piece of art, as it can be a hot cup of coffee in your hands.” With this perspective, she rethinks our relationship with everyday objects, which can have both practical and aesthetic value. This way, her work gains a figurative dimension, reflecting an evolution in her artistic voice. During the global pandemic, Anna practiced self-reflection to develop her practice. Inspired by the people who were important during a time of complete isolation, Anna modeled their portraits with improvised materials such as papier-mâché. These masks are influenced by her admiration for artists like Éric Croes and serve as both tributes and wall decorations. They symbolize the central role of humanity in her artistic approach, expressed through the simplicity of clay.