Chalky Dismay

Height: 12 cm
Width: 17 cm

Lutum is a ceramics practice that began after a visit to the Musée ardo in Algiers in 2015. This experience manifested as imaginations of fictional relics in clay. Lutum’s inspiration continues to draw from the history of objects, fragmented narratives, and creating utopias free from linear landmarks of time.

Lutum’s practice embraces functional domestic clay objects that live between utility and expression, raising questions on social rapports, and longevity of function. The visual language is heavily informed by Saharan cave paintings and the imaginary beyond.

Lutum is founded by Nessma Djouhri, an Algerian artist based in Dubai. Nessma studied Fine Arts and Art history in Goldsmiths University of London, after some time working in an art gallery, she resumed her practise and has been developing it over the past 6 years.