ceramic brussels fair unveils the program of its first edition

ceramic brussels fair unveils the program of its first edition

ceramic brussels, the international art fair dedicated to contemporary ceramics, will take place between January 25-28, 2024 on the Tour&Taxis site in Brussels, the heart of Europe.

For its first edition, the fair will bring together around 60 Belgian and international galleries, institutions and key players in contemporary ceramics. Twenty galleries will showcase a single artist in a solo show specially designed for the event. Presented mainly on the initiative of Belgian and French galleries, these solo show exhibitions will explore the specific world views of artists from a wide range of disciplines and nationalities.

The fair is co-managed by a Franco-Belgian duo, Gilles Parmentier and Jean-Marc Dimanche, with the support of renowned international experts in contemporary ceramics, who make up the advisory board for the first edition.

ceramic brussels aims to showcase the vitality and diversity of contemporary ceramics practice, support contemporary creation, and stimulate new exchanges between artists, institutions, galleries and the audience.

Participating galleries: AIFA (ch), Alice Gallery (be), Almine Reich (be/fr/us), aquilaluna (be), arsenicgalerie (fr), Atelier Ecru Gallery (be), backslash (fr), BeCraft (be), Berman Contemporary (za), CONSTELLATIONS GALLERY (za/be), Double V Gallery (fr), F R A C A S (be), GALERIE BERNARD JORDAN (fr/de/ch), GALERIE CAPAZZA (fr), Galerie Christine Colon (be), GALERIE DU PASSAGE (fr), Galerie DYS (be), Galerie Fontana (nl), Galerie Grès (fr), Galerie Jacques Cerami (be), Galerie La La Lande & SBA (fr), Galerie Lefebvre & Fils, Paris (fr), Galerie Maria Lund (fr), Galerie Michel Giraud (fr), Galerie Papillon (fr), galerie Sator (fr), Galerie Transit (be), Galerie Vallois (fr), Gallery Sofie Van den Bussche (be), Grège Gallery (be), Jonathan F. Kugel (be), Køppe Contemporary Objects (dk), La peau de l’ours (be), Lee Bauwens Gallery (be), Michel Rein (fr/be), Migrant Bird Space (de/cn), Modern Shapes Gallery (be), Modulab (fr), NeC nilsson et chiglien (fr), Nendo Galerie (fr), NQ Gallery Antwerpen (be), olivier castaing / Team School Gallery (fr), Patrick & Ondine Mestdagh From The Delville Collection (be), Peach Corner (dk), Puls Ceramics (be), Romero Paprocki (fr), Sorry We’re Closed (be), SPAX Projects (be), Spazio Nobile (be), Szydlowski (ch/pl), TATJANA PIETERS (be), The Second Act (uk), the Spaceless Gallery (fr/us), Valerius Gallery (lu), ZWART HUIS (be)

The fair developed an intense programme of activities. In addition to the participating galleries and institutions, ceramic brussels offers a series of conferences and other events.

10 winners of the ceramic brussels art prize

The ceramic brussels art prize was set up to give a platform of visibility to young European ceramic artists who are not represented by a gallery. Over 200 entries were received from artists all over Europe.

The ten winners will be exhibited in a group show at the fair and presented in a single publication: Antoine Moulinard, Audrey Ballacchino, François Bauer, Duo Vertigo, Damien Fragnon, Elsa Guillaume, Jonas Moënne, Inup Park, Joke Raes, Ming-Miao Ko.

Three prizes will also be awarded to the artists during the opening, including a jury prize with a solo exhibition during the second edition of ceramic brussels in 2025, a residency of 2 months in Paris with Fondation LAccolade – Institut de France, and a participation to a group show at The Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles/Paris in 2024. ⁠

Johan Creten: guest of honor 2024

Each year, ceramic brussels plans to invite a pioneer figure and representative to bring and elevate the programme by enriching it with his/her experience and perspectives on contemporary ceramics, as guest of honour.

For this first edition, the sculptor Johan Creten has embarked on this role and, as a member of the advisory board, is also contributing to the 2024 programme and participating in the selections.

“The artist, who has been working with ceramics since the late 1980s, when the medium was still considered taboo in the contemporary art world, is known for his innovative use of ceramics. Famous for his allegorical sculptures in ceramic and bronze, Johan Creten has been depicting a world full of poetry, lyricism, and mystery since the 1990s. They underline the importance of beauty in his work while at the same time reaffirming his humanist awareness and the social and political resonance of his practice. In his creative process, Johan Creten evokes “Slow art” and the need to return to introspection and exploration of the world with its individual and societal torments.”* (*Source)

An intense half-day of meetings and conferences

Organized for Thursday, 25 January 2024, the first day the exhibition is open to the public, the meeting and conference sessions will be held at the exhibition center between 1 pm and 7 pm.

The sessions are dedicated to reflection on the various issues that run through the practice of ceramics today and will expand the vision, developed by the founding duo, of an ‘activist’ fair.

Tailor-made installation by Rond Carré Studio

In collaboration with MAD Brussels, Centre de la Mode et du Design, ceramic brussels has launched a call for projects to allow a designer, an architect, and/or a studio to demonstrate the expertise and inventiveness of Brussels designers to the public at the fair, by developing and implementing an installation at the heart of its entrance areas.

The project was awarded to Rond Carré Studio, a design duo from Brussels whose monumental work will be on display at the entrance to the show.

A unique publication dedicated to the fair

For its first edition, the fair, in collaboration with the AMA newsletter, has produced a special magazine, available in FR/NL and ENG, to better understand the issues, prospects and challenges of contemporary ceramics at the heart of contemporary art.

Visit the website of ceramic brussels

Contact
info@ceramic.brussels