MELTING PIECES
Paraphrases on the fountain in the Swiss Lake at Frederiksberg Gardens
Lise Seier Petersen (DK)
6 November – 13 December 2025
Exhibition preview on Thursday, 6 November, from 16.00 to 19.00
Artist Kirstine Autzen, who holds an MA in Visual Culture, will give the opening speech at 17.00
Artist talk on 8 November from 14.00 to 16.00
Book launch on 29 November from 14.00 to 16.00.
Lise Seier Petersen presents Melting Pieces: objects in red and blue clay fired at high temperatures so that the material begins to melt. The combination of earthenware clay and the more stable stoneware clay results in organic shapes in a palette of earth tones. The interplay between the shapes and composition of the stacked, wheel-thrown and extruded elements, the thickness, melting point and viscosity of the clay and the laws of physics all contribute to the resulting expression. This combination of factors determines the finished Melting Piece.
Thematically, the exhibition revolves around the fountain in Schweizersøen (Swiss Lake) in Frederiksberg Gardens. Over the years, Lise has observed how the water shapes the fountain, and with Peach Corner so close, it seemed an obvious choice to incorporate these observations into the physical appearance of the Melting Pieces and the natural processes that shaped them.
Lise Seier Petersen uses overfiring of earthenware clay as a deliberate approach and develops her own techniques and approaches. Depending on the deformation – or, rather, the transformation – that happens in the kiln, she carefully selects the pieces or, if necessary, refires them so that they fuse further until they meet with her exacting standards. The results are aesthetic representations of the process – and ferocity – that the pieces were subjected to.
Lise Seier Petersen (b.1950) trained as a ceramist at the Aarhus Academy of Fine Arts and with potter Knud Jensen in Sorring (1970–75). She also holds an MA in art history from the University of Copenhagen (2017). She is the recipient of Ole Haslunds Kunstnerlegat, working grants from the Danish Arts Foundation and the honorary grant from Anne Marie Telmányi født Carl-Nielsen Fonden.
Selected exhibitions: Interface Vol. I and II, Danske Grafikeres Hus, Copenhagen, and Kunstetagerne, Hobro, 2021 and 2025; Reverberation, Kirsten Kjærs Museum, Thy, 2021; Reverberation and Space Vol. II, Art Centre Silkeborg Bad, 2024; The Living Pot, CLAY – Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark, 2016–18; No one can step into the same river twice – 99 clay bowls to Heraclitus, Art Centre Silkeborg Bad, 2014.
The pieces were produced at the Danish Art Workshops.
The exhibition has received support from the Danish Arts Foundation and Danmarks Nationalbank’s Anniversary Foundation.
The exhibition is accompanied by a publication presenting the concept, method and development of Melting Pieces. Text: Lise Seier Petersen. Photos: Ole Akhøj, Kirstine Autzen, Dorte Krogh and Camilla Reyman as well as private photos. Graphic design: Anne Marie Ploug. Printing: Narayana Press.
