Gucci Buxbaum's path seemed predetermined: born in Austria, she inherited a ceramic legacy and could easily have followed her grandfathers and father into the craft. Instead, she forged her own direction, studying sculpture at the Vienna Art School. After various professional ventures—including advertising film production—she relocated to Dortmund in 2014 for love. In 2019, she established the porcelain manufactory "Peng." Her studio produces limited porcelain series, each piece entirely handcrafted and individual. Buxbaum's work embraces minimalist design, employing a restrained palette of basic forms with subtle variations in wall thickness. The color story is equally pared down, with white as the foundation, punctuated by delicate accents in black or blue. Her "Wooden Lines in Black" collection exemplifies this approach: the black decoration is applied with a small stick rather than a brush, making the paint quantity unpredictable. The result is an organic rhythm of varying line lengths. The manufacturing process itself remains deeply responsive to environmental conditions—temperature and humidity shift seasonally throughout the studio, causing each piece to develop its own character. It's a fascinating interplay of intention and chance, where surprises are always welcome. Sometimes a form emerges differently than imagined; occasionally a piece crumbles to dust. After the initial firing, the plates, bowls, boxes, and vases are refined through sanding, painting, or additional ornamentation. A transparent glaze is applied before a final kiln firing. Only then are these pieces ready for daily use.

www.peng.gg

Photography Credits:

Alina Beck
Nick Harwart
www.nickharwart.com

(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 02|23)