As one of the most successful Danish ceramists of his generation, Morten Løbner Espersen has brought a new energy to the tradition of ceramics through a 20-year exploration of his object of choice, the vessel. Based in Copenhagen, Espersen explores the simplicity of the form through variations of this archetype that balance opposing principles: simple form and complex surface, or complex shapes and simple surfaces. Whether his vessel is of modest, cylindrical nature or a chaotic, writhing mass of layered glazes, Espersen strives to create a quality in glazing comparable to Japonist pottery. Likened to the frothy, volcanic surfaces of Lucie Rie’s stoneware, the organic and protruding forms of Axel Salto’s “budding” vases, and a Patrick Nordstom brilliance in glazing, Espersen’s clay forms exercise the full potential of his self-imposed neutral starting point.