Playing with Fire: Edmund de Waal and Axel Salto

Beth Williamson | Studio International | 8th December 2025

Accomplished in multiple artforms, Salto is now regarded as a great ceramicist. He spent time in Paris in the 1920’s before returning to Denmark to make the highly expressive stoneware that revolutionised “the idea of the vessel”. These works have “budding, sprouting, and fluted surface textures that appear to ripple and burst with life”. Rather enigmatically, Salto talked about ‘the burning now”, the moment of transformation. Said he “I have always preferred burning mistakes to tepid accuracies”. A video (4 min) is here.