Theseus and Ariadne

The sculpture is created from fragments of late 19th-century continental porcelain and mixed media. The piece is part of Bouke de Vries’s series Threads of my Life, a contemporary reinterpretation of the Greek mythological story of Theseus and Ariadne. Bouke de Vries reinterprets broken historical ceramics by repurposing them in contemporary sculptures, utilising the skills learned from his practice as a ceramic restorer.

Courtesy of the private collection of Matteo Giannelli

● Type: Sculpture
● Material: Porcelain, mixed media
● Date: 2014

In Greek mythology, Ariadne was a Cretan princess in love with the Greek hero Theseus. When Theseus went to slay the Cretan Minotaur that lived in a labyrinth, Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of yarn so that he could easily find his way out. In Bouke de Vries’s work, the ball of thread becomes a metaphor for the quest for freedom. Through his sculptural practice of deconstructing and reconstructing porcelain fragments, Bouke brings the characters of this ancient story back to life.

Porcelain VirtuosityExhibition