A CERAMICS FAIR LIKE BIENNIAL: CERAMIC BRUSSELS
- Seramik Türkiye
- 19 Haz
- 4 dakikada okunur
The second edition of ceramic brussels, the first international art fair dedicated to ceramics, was held on January 22-26. ceramic brussels, which resembles a biennial exhibition rather than a commercial fair and features the works of more than 200 artists, revealed new trends in this art discipline.
FATMA BATUKAN BELGE
Brussels, the capital of the European Union, hosts an important event in terms of contemporary ceramic art. The second edition of the ceramic brussels fair, the first of which was held last year and hosted nearly 13 thousand visitors, was held at the exhibition and trade center Tour&Taxis on January 22-26. This year, mostly Belgian and European art galleries participated in the fair, which welcomed visitors with its distinctive scenography, structured around two large circles.
Fairground Norwegian ceramic talks
“We've been buoyed by an exceptional response from galleries, collectors and institutions: thanks to this enthusiasm, we're back this year with a bigger, livelier and more international edition in every way!” announced Gilles Parmentier, co-director of ceramic brussels. Underlining innovation, tradition and diversity, visitors had the opportunity to discover more than 200 contemporary artists during the fair. Although some of these artists received traditional ceramics training and specialized in this field, there were also a considerable number of multidisciplinary artists who made ceramics a part of their own expression language. In addition, a perspective on the approaches of the modernist period was presented with works of artists such as Picasso and Vassil Ivanov dating back to the early 20th century.
The focus on Norway
Around 65 galleries from 15 countries participated in the fair; while a large number of Belgian galleries, both established and emerging, took part in this second edition, the presence of modern and contemporary French galleries was strongly felt. Apart from these, galleries from England, USA, Japan, Denmark, Luxembourg, Lebanon and Germany also introduced their artists. The participation of five galleries from Norway highlighted the rich and innovative ceramic art of this northern country. Contemporary Norwegian ceramic art has a character that refuses irreverently traditional techniques, full of humor and irony, and introduced into the discipline of sculpture. A panel and talk program was also organized in collaboration with Norwegian Crafts, an organization that promotes contemporary Norwegian craft and design internationally and supports Norwegian artists in reaching new audiences. Within the scope of the program, topics such as "Clay meets painting", "Ceramics in public space" and "Ceramics: Art and Industry" were discussed.
Guest of Honour: Elizabeth Jaeger
The Guest of Honor of the fair was American sculptor Elizabeth Jaeger. Represented by the Gallery Mennour, Jaeger focuses on the concept of memento mori (remember that you are mortal) in her works. She integrates emotions and experiences into hand-made representations of everyday objects and figurative sculptures. Her work, which often combines ceramics and bronze in stunning installations, constantly confronts the viewers and draws them into her personal narrative. The ceramic brussels exhibition was also shown in a specially designed area. Jaeger’s works were arranged in such a way that they could only be viewed from behind windows. It made us feel like we were turning into unwanted visitors, observing creatures in a habitat that looked eerie and perhaps eroded by human hands. The aim of the artist is not only to enable people to confront their own emotions, but also to empathize with the living creatures in front of us.
Art Prize for young artists
Initiated by ceramic brussels, the Art Prize aims to highlight the vitality and diversity of contemporary ceramic practice and support contemporary creation. The call for artists is open to art students and/or young artists living in Europe, not represented by a gallery, have less than 10 years' practice and research in the field of ceramics. More than 300 applications were evaluated by an international jury, and the works of 10 laureates were shown in a special setting in the exhibition curated by Jean-Marc Dimanche, co-director. Léonore Chastagner, the winner of the Jury Prize among these 10 artists, will open a solo exhibition in the 2026 edition of ceramic brussels, while other artists were rewarded with participation in various exhibitions or artist residency programs.
New trends, fluorescent colors, 3D printing…
When we looked at the overall works exhibited at ceramic brussels, it was possible to observe new trends in the field of contemporary ceramics. Fluorescent colors, 3D printing, kitsch, mixed media and return to nature were the most striking among these trends. It was understood that firings such as raku and sagar, which have been widely used in Turkiye recently, did not attract the attention of European artists. Although the fair focused on the discipline of ceramics, it was noteworthy that ceramics was treated as a material, not a discipline, and the endless variety of opportunities this material offered to artists.
Michel Gouéry’s (France) works Helena Hafemann (Germany), Threadbare series, 2016-2022
Manuel Sánchez-Algora (Spain) Samuel Yal (France), Incubi d’Oro, Miguel Chevalier (France), Fractal Stratigraphy 3, 2024.
porcelain, thread, gold, 2016
Like the French sculptor and filmmaker Samuel Yal, whose favorite material is porcelain, the painter and sculptor Michel Gouéry or the German visual artist and curator Helena Hafemann, Spanish artist Manuel Sánchez-Algora, who turned ceramics into his main artistic manifestation without abandoning painting and illustration, digital artist dijital Miguel Chevalier… The stories the works told, rather than their materials, came to the fore. On the other hand, of course, there were artists whose finishing was perfect and who spoke the language of ceramics very well like Makiko Hattori, japanese ceramicist. In a small country like Belgium, it was best to see both the abundance of galleries devoted to ceramics and the intense interest of art lovers.
Yorumlar