By combining French decorative arts motifs, organic imagery, and contemporary motivations into visual poetry, French artist Alice Riehl’s porcelain wall murals exist in a liminal space between the natural and constructed worlds. Nurtured by the memory of her grandmother’s needlework, Riehl explores the combination of porcelain and lace, working the peculiar texture of this marriage into a personal signature of her botanical inspired ceramic works.

Riehl’s collection of intricate swirling sculptural murals, known as Masques, began during her frequent strolls along the Breton coastline. It was there that she observed the ever-shifting tidal backwash, where sea foam delicately etched lace-like patterns on the sand and rocks. These patterns, born from the perpetual motion of the sea, are in a constant state of change and renewal.

Masques embodies a quintessential aspect of Riehl’s artistic style. She skillfully molds and assembles inert porcelain pieces to convey a sense of dynamic movement, a vibrant surge of life, all while creating a stunning overarching design. In this way, Masques serves as a tribute to a specific moment frozen in time—an image of nature’s intricate patterns captured in stillness, just before they retreat and begin anew.

The name Masques draws a connection to carnival masks worn during festive celebrations, as these masks occasionally seem to fleetingly materialize within the delicate contours of the foamy patterns.