ceramic brussels

ceramic brussels not only marks a new international art event in Brussels, but will be the first art fair dedicated to contemporary ceramics. Featuring 30 Belgian and international galleries – both emerging and established – as well as key institutions and leaders in contemporary ceramics, the fair will also host talks and exchanges that will highlight the current market and create new relationships among artists, galleries, collectors and institutions.

Led by directors Jean-Marc Dimanche and Gilles Parmentier, ceramic brussels puts the spotlight on a medium that has reached new heights in popularity over the past decade. Now a common medium in contemporary art as much as design objects, ceramics no longer is about functional forms and uses, but has expanded to many iterations. ceramics brussels will have an artist-forward approach to its curatorial vision, showcasing the variety of uses of ceramic from large-scale installation to traditional figuration to wildly abstract and layered.  When asked about how the initiatve for a ceramics-focused fair came about, Gilles Parmentier, who has served as the director of Art on Paper, since 2018, explains, “This reflection stemmed from an intuition and a vision that gradually took shape two years ago when we observed the increasingly prominent presence of ceramics in galleries, fairs, and international events. From this intuition emerged the idea that an event, specifically a fair, dedicated exclusively to the medium of ceramics would be relevant to showcase the variety, dynamics and diversity of contemporary creation in this field.”

The guest of honour for the inaugural edition is Johan Creten, who began working with ceramics in the 1908s and is considered a pioneer in contemporary ceramics and a precursor the revival of the medium. There will be a special exhibition of his work and he helped contribute to the programming of the fair as well. Creten, along with Christina Germain-Donnat, director of the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Magdalena Gerber, artist, professor and head of CERCCO, Head-Geneva, Geertje Jacobs, Director of the EKWC, and Ludovic Recchia, director of Kermais Museum, form the advisory committee of ceramic brussels, supporting the development and programming of the fair.

ceramic brussels will also mark the launch of a new art prize, the ceramic brussels art prize, established to give visibility to younger European ceramic artists who are currently not represented by a gallery. A wide call for applications brought in 200 entries and 10 winners were selected. Their work will be exhibited in a group show at the fair and featured in a single publication. Jean-Marc Dimanche, co-director of ceramic brussels, states: “More than ever, this testifies to the lively, daring and avant-garde scene among artists practising ceramics, which we are particularly pleased to highlight with this prize.”

Parmentier says, “The very large number of international galleries (with over 15 countries represented) will also enable collectors, visitors and professionals to discover the great contrast and formidable diversity in approaches to ceramics by contemporary artists around the world.”

ceramic brussels will take place between the 25-28 January at Tour & Taxis. For more information visit:

www.ceramic.brussels.com

@ceramic.brussels