Manon Klein
Ceramics and Glass
I am a ceramist and glass artist living in Halle (Saale). Since my graduation as product designer from Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle in 2023 I am working in my shared collective studio.
I love to create modern, playful ceramics for everyday use through the unconventional application of traditional craft techniques. From tea bowls to vases - all of my vessels are created in elaborate individual work on the potters wheel, casted by mould or hand-pinched and individually decorated in detail.
In addition to ceramics for everyday use, I have developed a deep passion for the field of fine dining, gastronomy and the creation of exciting tableware concepts for extraordinary culinary experiences.
Vita
2024
nominee // German Design Award Newcomer 2025
2023
workshop & lecture playing with porcelain // Hochschule Wismar
2020 – 2023
masters productdesign and design of porcelain, ceramics and glass // Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle
2021 - NOW
studio founding & working as ceramist // mud club* Halle
2017
internship // Jessica Henkel Keramik // Lübeck
2015-2020
diploma productdesign // Hochschule Wismar
Exhibitions & Markets
2025
nice goods market // studio papaya Leipzig
Tea Festival by Teerausch // Chinesischer Pavillon Dresden
2024
clay corner market // Leipzig
terra rossa market // Grassimuseum Leipzig
monkey market // Münster
2023
Silbersalz Festival // Halle
annual exhibition Burg Giebichenstein // Halle
LPFC x MK. Keramik Pop-Up // Halle
2022
x-mas market // Fuge Leipzig
Burg Giebichenstein market // Halle
annual exhibition Burg Giebichenstein // Halle
Grassimesse // Grassimuseum Leipzig
exhibition // Teerausch Dresden
Zeughausmesse // Berlin
terra rossa market // Grassimuseum Leipzig
glass – hand formed matter exhibition // The Glass Factory, Boda (Sweden)
glass – hand formed matter exhibition // Bröhan-Museum Berlin
2021
Hallescher Töpfermarkt // Halle
intarsia // pop up + exhibition // _______Metzgerei
Touch Me! window display // Halle
2020
display design // Galerie Hinter dem Rathaus Wismar
KONFEKT graduation show // Wismar
blickfang designfair // Deichtorhallen Hamburg
2019
blickfang designfair // Deichtorhallen Hamburg
Paradies Exhibition // Museum Schabellhaus Wismar
KunstOffen // Produzentengalerie Catrin Freuschle
DIA exhibition // RWN Art Neubrandenburg
DIA annual exhibition // Fakultät Gestaltung Hochschule Wismar
Upcoming 2025
25.05. // mud club* Spring Market // Halle
07.06. // Clay Corner Market // Leipzig
Summer // Collab launch with Julia Klenovsky // mud club* Halle
18.–19.10. // Töpfermarkt // Halle
Strolling Through Fields // 2023-Now
Collaborative project with illustrator Julia Klenovsky //
Manon Klein and Julia Klenovsky stroll in the joint process of ceramic designer and artist strough the two working fields. The pieces, wheel thrown by Manon and hand-drawn by Julia, were created in a process in which shape and line gradually emerged. The project resulted in two editions dropped in 2023 & 2024, the third and next drop coming in summer 2025.
Pictures taken by Moritz Osterwold //
Sensual Dining // 2023
Masterproject at Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle // Supervised by Prof. Laura Straßer // Cooperative work with Aroma Collective // Nominated for German Design Award Newcomer 2025 //
Young chefs are constantly working on creating experimental dinner experiences that result in special memories for their guests. Which role does tableware play in this process and which possibilities can evolve by using custom made tableware? In cooperation with Aroma Collective, I created a mix & match set containing new porcelain and glass vessels aswell as curated vintage pieces to enhance the reuse of existing products and embracing traditional dinnerware. The dinnerware made of different materials, textures and surfaces was displayed and used in a communicative dinner event with 16 guests.
Visual documentation by Robert Thomann and Lars Zimmermann // Take a look at a short clip of the dinner event
here.
LPFC x MK. // 2023
Cooperation with LPFC Streetwear from Hamburg //
Collaboration with LPFC, a streetwear label from Hamburg, three ceramic pieces and two clothing items were created. For this small, limited collection airbrush and screen printing techniques were used to give each piece a special touch. The collection was launched and sold in a Pop-Up Event in 2023.
Pictures and video taken by Robert Thomann and Lars Zimmermann // Take a look at a short clip of the project
here.
Intarsia // Doggo Series // 2021
exhibited at ______Metzgerei Wismar //
The intarsia technique is traditionally used in woodworks, where different flat woods are glued together to create inlay ornaments. In the intarsia project, this technique was applied on porcelain vessels: The motifs are created by layering porcelain strangs, cutting them into slabs and arranging them into gypsum molds. By pouring porcelain over the inlays, the motifs are anchored in the walls of each vessel. Because of the soft material and the slight deformation, each vessel gets its own character, although the motifs share the same origin.
Pictures taken by Moritz Osterwold, Steffen Stender, Manon Klein
Of Crimson and Clover // 2022
Collaboration with Sulamith Gutwein // Exhibited Grassimesse Leipzig // Exhibited at Zeughausmesse Berlin & dated with the Förderpreis 2022 (group award) //
Modern gastronomy is characterized by a multi-sensory experience, where an intense taste experience is offered to the guest through different textures and consistencies of the food. Of crimson and clover depicts the versatility of high-end gastronomy through its surfaces, shapes and colors. In addition, the objects are seen as a modern homage to baroque, opulent still life paintings and support the special experience of modern dining.
Glass objects crafted by Torsten Rötzsch //
Madonna Series // 2024
Marian figures, hold significant importance in Christian art as a symbol for compassion, motherhood and divine grace. Found in churches, homes, and public spaces around the world, they are serving as focal points for prayer and reflection. In recent years, modern interpretations of the Virgin Mary have emerged, reflecting present societal issues and diverse cultural perspectives. The reimaging of virgin mary may address feminism, social justice and cultural identity.
The Madonna Series is a contemporary application of the Mary figure displayed as a strong, independent figure, emphasizing her role as a feminine leader. So far, various porcelain cups and a series of glass vases have emerged from this series.
Glass objects crafted by Torsten Rötzsch // Glass vase pictures taken by Moritz Osterwold //
Under Construction // 2022
Series of 6 vases inspired by the architecture and structures of the city of Halle (Saale). //
Set in Glass // 2021
Exhibited at »glass – hand formed matter« exhibtion at Bröhan-Museum Berlin and Boda (Sweden) //
Set in Glass is a set of two tableware objects made from glass and porcelain. The textures of its glass objects were generated through different experiments with real stones inlayed into molds and show endless possibilities and variations of stony textures and experimental fabrication. From rough, chunky and huge rocks over cobblestones and bricks, that determine our architecture and cities, to small, smooth worry stones, that we take home with us after a beach day – stones and rocks are all around and appear in various shapes, colours and sizes. Set in Glass shows that it is always possible to create innovative, interesting results by using simple but brave methods and complex techniques are not always necessary.
Read more about the project and the »glass – hand formed matter« exhibition
here.
Linking Clay // 2020
Diploma supervised by Prof. Dipl.-Des. Stephan Schulz und Dipl.-Des. Jens Eichhof // Graduation project at Hochschule Wismar 2020 // Exhibited at »KONFEKT« graduation group show //
Linking clay breaks with haptic and visual conventions of ceramics and shows interesting techniques in the production of ceramic products instead of showing a functional and aesthetic tableware set or ceramic product. After a theoretical examination of today’s table culture and aspects such as sustainability, responsibility in design and material connectivity, an attempt was made to fathom the directions in which ceramic objects and products can be designed in the future in order to achieve greater connectivity with users. To this end, extrusion and textile processing techniques were used and reinterpreted in a ceramic context.
Read more about linking clay
here.
Sensual Dining
Strolling Through Fields
LPFC x MK.
Intarsia // Doggo Series
Of Crimson and Clover
Madonna Series
Set in Glass
Linking Clay
Under Construction
