Vivian van Blerk is a South African photography artist working in Paris. In 2016, Lebanese artist Katya Traboulsi, introduced him to ceramics in Hala Matta's Namika Atelier in Beirut.
Back in Paris, inspired by an archeology collection, Vivian photographed, drew and sculpted skulls transforming some into bowls, vases, lamps and urns.
Skulls have long appeared in art as « memento mori », a Latin phrase meaning « Remember you will die ». They remind us we are mortal and that all our worldly experiences are temporary. By sculpting inside and around the skull, Vivian adds stories to the memento mori. He calls this new work a « memento vixisti » : « Remember you were alive ». These ceramics tell tales and evoke moods, memories and stories which cling to the dry bones and stones bequeathed to us by the past.
Vivian van Blerk returned to Lebanon this summer for an artist residency at Bkerzay in the Chouf to create a series of ceramic memento vixisti for Beirut Design Fair.