What does the ideal dining table look like to someone who dedicates her life to beauty? Serax asked creative director and artist Louise Mertens. Her answer: A Japanese-inspired spectacle that refers to the mysterious life in the unattainable depths of the world.
Please introduce yourself.
“I am Louise, and exactly ten years ago, I started my eponymous studio where I blended graphic design, photography and fine arts into a whole for the first years. In recent years, I’ve been skipping between autonomous art and jobs as a creative director. In short, sometimes I spend a day painting in my studio, and another day I work in the photo studio to manage a photo team. Over a year ago, I traded Belgium for Portugal. Now I live with my partner and son in green Aroeira, 35 minutes from Lisbon and five minutes from the sea. Actually, the original plan was to move to Bali. When we were about to do that, it ate away at us. The distance from our family would be too great. Portugal was our second option. Because we continued to have doubts, we simply set a deadline: we will leave in two months.” (laughs)
You have a remarkable and very personal style. Can you describe that?
“The most important aspect of my work is that I interweave digital and manual techniques. I’ve always struggled with the choice between both. You should know that very early in my childhood, I had a Macintosh computer at my disposal, one of those with a black screen and white letters. My parents, both architects, had bought these for work. That device changed my life. Every day after school, I just had to work on it. During my childhood, I followed the whole evolution of graphics software closely, and as a youngster, I jumped straight into the first version of Photoshop. As a result, I have a great affinity for digital software. However, I don’t like 100% digitally generated images, and I think we should continue to embrace manual techniques. And so I’ve begun to bring these two worlds together. Nowadays, I usually start with paint or other materials that I photograph and transform them into a digital image that I then print. On the print, I then apply analogue techniques again. That experiment leads to unexpected results. I find the greatest beauty in interpreting so-called coincidences and mistakes.”
Images by Floor Windels
I have a feeling that with this description of your work, we seamlessly connect to the Dream Table you made for Serax. Is that correct?
“Absolutely. Serax has, first and foremost, given me complete artistic freedom, and I attach great importance to that. As I said, there must be room for chance. In concrete terms, I have translated several objects from Serax’s rich tableware collections into abstract, digitally designed forms that I printed on canvas. To this, I then added thick paint strips and ceramic objects. All shapes seem to float in space. So, I’m very fascinated by the very big and the very small: both the universe and life on a cellular level.”
Which Serax tableware did you get to work with?
“With the La Mère collection by Marie Michielssen. Her design language reminds me of Japanese designers. I stayed there for three months, and I greatly cherish the aesthetics of that country. Also, I have always pursued the purity and simplicity of Japanese aesthetics. If I lost my way, I would think to myself: what would a Japanese designer do? What would they remove? They also often use glossy black and deep red tones in their paintwork that contrast with a heavenly white.”
Indeed, the thick, dark layers of paint bathe your dream table in a mysterious Japanese atmosphere. Can you explain that urge for darkness?
“For years, I have been looking for someone who could explain that to me.” (Laughs) “My work is often described as dark, but that sounds too negative to me. Perhaps the word ‘deep’ covers the subject better. The deepest depths of the world fascinate me; depths underwater or in the universe that are unreachable by man. I can watch a documentary about life at the bottom of the ocean for hours. Then I’m in another world, far away from reality. I’m trying to talk about that world in my work.”
Is your dream table an ode to tranquillity?
“My dream table is a very personal reflection of myself. Because I’m a very chaotic person, I’m always attracted to peace. I like to withdraw. That is why I live on the coast of Portugal. Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t like having a nice Saturday night table with friends over a good glass of wine. You will, however, find a black tablecloth at my house. The table is often so busy. Black makes it quieter.”
Are you a creative and interested in curating your own dream table? Contact us at hello@serax.com.
