When was the first time you sensed that you would be a ceramicist?
As a child I spent each summer on a farm that was built on clay. After it had rained, I always enjoyed squelching in the sodden, muddy soil, and when it had dried out, I used it to make tiny little cooking vessels for my dolls. This first encounter with clay determined my fate.
Where do you draw inspiration from when creating your art pieces?
I find inspiration in a pleasant outing, a conversation with someone interesting, a wonderful melody, the teachings of Buddhism or impressions that subconsciously affect me like the built environment in the place where I live or encountered during my travels. But I am also inspired by sculptures I have previously created.
©Baktai György
How would you define what you do?
I want to know, see and feel everything that is going on around me in the world. In my art, I do not reflect on, criticise or assess any of that, but strive to enable the viewer to rest a little in this madness. I offer my objects as passageways that lead to introspection.
What does well made mean to you?
This brings to my mind the statues on the pediment of ancient Greek temples. Sculptures there can only be inspected from the front, yet they are impeccably shaped all around. It is that way because the gods are able to see them from all sides. In my eye, this is what being well made is about.