Ceramics Now Exhibition II / Galateea Gallery, Bucharest, Romania
April 19 – May 7, 2012
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View photos: Opening day & works
The second edition of Ceramics Now Exhibition presents at Galateea Gallery, Bucharest, the works of 22 contemporary ceramic artists from 9 countries – Romania, USA, Canada, Israel, Italy, Ireland, United Kingdom, South Korea and Poland. The works of the Romanian artists who are presented in the exhibition are an addition to the 15 works that were exhibited in December 2011 at The Paintbrush Factory, Cluj-Napoca.
Through this exhibition, Ceramics Now Magazine is trying to bring together and open a dialogue between contemporary ceramic artists from all over the world – all working in different techniques and approaching a variety of subjects and motifs.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Arina Ailincăi (RO), Chang Hyun Bang (KR), Antonella Cimatti (IT), Patrick Colhoun (UK), Romana Cucu Mateiaş (RO), Carole Epp (CA), Simcha Even-Chen (IL), Shamai Gibsh (IL), Mark Goudy (US), Roxanne Jackson (US), Marta Jakobovits (RO), Margrieta Jeltema (IT), Maciej Kasperski (PL), Jim Kraft (US), Cynthia Lahti (US), Claire Muckian (IE), Connie Norman (US), Aniela Ovadiuc (RO), Oriana Pelladi (RO), Eugenia Pop (RO), Cristina Popescu Russu (RO), Liza Riddle (US).
Curator: Romana Cucu Mateiaş
Coordinator: Vasi Hîrdo
The international Ceramics Now Exhibition is an itinerary exhibition of contemporary ceramics which presents works that are featured in the issues of Ceramics Now Magazine. The goals of the exhibition are to raise visibility of contemporary ceramics in Romania. The exhibition reunites artists from different countries and communities, and facilitates contact between them and the public. Ceramics Now Magazine and Exhibition operate as an exchange platform between artists, galleries, museums, collectors and people passionate about art.
Ceramics Now Magazine is a comprehensive and innovative quarterly publication specialized in contemporary ceramics. Founded in 2011, the magazine features interviews, articles, reviews and works of emerging and world-renowned ceramic artists. It is distributed all over the world in a network of libraries, galleries, museums and institutions.
Reopened at the initiative of the Romanian Fine Arts Union in December 2011, Galateea Gallery is the first gallery of contemporary ceramics in Romania.
Galateea Gallery is located on 132 Victoriei Avenue, Bucharest, and is opened from Monday to Friday between 12 am – 8 pm, and on Saturdays between 11 am – 7 pm.
Organized by Ceramics Now Association and the Romanian Fine Arts Union.
CONTACT:
office@ceramicsnow.org
Tel. +4 0748 311 663
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/339342859458311/
Arina Ailincăi (RO) lives and works in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In 1971 she graduated from the Ceramics Department at “Ion Andreescu” Arts Institute Cluj-Napoca. Member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC), her works has been exhibited in numerous countries such as Canada, France, Italy, Romania, Germany, USA, Taiwan or Switzerland.
Residences and symposiums are extremely benefic cultural exchanges for the refreshening of one’s ideas. They also bring the sense of being an ambassador of one’s own culture and historical traditions who make a personal contribution, no matter how small, to the international artistic context. These kinds of events are especially significant for Romanian artists who have suffered, as we all know, from a period of political restrictions that had made the direct contact with the cultural world outside the Communist Bloc almost impossible.
Chang Hyun Bang (SK) studied ceramics and English language and literature at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, then continued his studies (an MFA in Ceramics) at the State University of New York, New Paltz. He had participated in numerous exhibitions in the USA and Korea, and won prizes at biennales and contests all over the world.
The tiny swines in my work have human emotions. Depression, anxiety, desire, obsessions from our daily lives, and subtle emotions indescribable through words are conveyed to viewers through the language of the swines’ bodies. The space I dwell in is represented through abstract architectural structures. This is a floating space, dependent on memories which come from experience, rather than the actual space our bodies exist in; a phenomenological space where we meet the world and new languages are produced.
Antonella Cimatti (IT) was born in Faenza, Italy, in 1956. One of Carlo Zauli’s pupils at the Istituto d’Arte (State School of Ceramics) in Faenza, she went on to obtain a degree with a special distinction from the Accademia di Belle Arti (Fine Arts Academy) in Bologna. Since 1979, she has been teaching Design at the Istituto d’Arte in Faenza.
My working style is not traditional. My objective is to create a lightness in ceramics – not only regarding weight, but also visually. I want to discover the right combination of materials in order to obtain the results you see. I have tried different types of syringes, of clays, and supporting molds. For example, my experiments with plaster molds weren’t suitable because the objects made in paperclay were impossible to remove without destroying them.
Instead of getting holes by cutting out shapes, my pieces have been created using a very thin decoration that designs their form: it’s an art of addition, not of subtraction.
Patrick Colhoun (UK) is an emerging ceramic artist from Belfast, UK. The powerful message of his works was transmitted in almost twenty exhibitions since 2009. Most recently, his exhibition at Canvas Galleries was highly appreciated.
My early work was influenced by redundancy and to a degree, growing up in Belfast during the Troubles. After that, I liked the reaction I got to slightly darker subject matter and deliberately developed a style that was strong, masculine and slightly controversial. I began to look into other slightly dark influences such as containment, aggression and sexual deviancy. I think, this was my way of expressing the fact that I had worked for other people for nearly twenty years and this was me rebelling slightly, through my ever more controversial subject matter.
Romana Cucu Mateiaş (RO) finalized in 2011 her Doctoral Studies in Visual Arts at the National University of Arts, Bucharest, and she is currently a lecturer at the same university. In the last ten years she had participated in over 50 group exhibitions in Romania, France, Belgium, UK and Canada. Numerous participations at scientific conferences, workshops, trainings and symposiums are embodied in her extensive scientific research.
New projects usually occur after reflecting on certain subjects, items or concepts that caught my attention and which I want to integrate into the work. Other ceramic projects come as a response to a challenging and interesting thematic for a special event or exhibition. What I particularly like is to closely observe plants, animals and insects, and to study their surfaces with a special attention to the countless details, drawings, textures or structures. Besides this, in my work I often use details and anatomical fragments as inspiration.
Carole Epp (CA) is a Canadian ceramic artist and writer, who received her Master’s Degree in Ceramics from the Australian National University. Her work has been exhibited in Canada, Scotland, Australia and the United States. She is an editor at Musing About Mud, an online blog which showcases information, calls for entry, exhibitions and artist profiles related to the ceramic arts.
My present project is a series of figurative sculptures that reference kitsch figurines, lowbrow art, DIY culture, and popular/western/consumer culture. Drawing from very personal narratives, the work is an investigation into the human condition, presenting figurative tableaus of death and love, hope and failure, family and social pressures. The aim of my work is always to stimulate conversation, thought and action in a pro-active method. I desire to address issues of political, social, humanitarian concern. Issues are taken from contemporary media, but addressed through my own personal voice.
Simcha Even-Chen (IL), winner of the Kaolin Grand Prix for International Ceramic Art Jingdezhen Museum in China (2011), is one of the most productive Israeli ceramic artists. She had over thirty exhibitions in the last years, and she had participated in numerous contests and biennales across the globe. Her collections are spread over five continents.
My body of work deals with construction of architectural geometrical shapes, their fragmentation, and the rapport generated when they are combined to form an assemblage. The use of the geometric design on the surface adds another dimension to each object on it own, but also has an impact on the fractures between objects in a group, as the flow of lines and shapes redefines the significance of each shape and gives a visual perception of unity and harmony to the work.
Shamai Gibsh (IL) is the owner of a ceramic studio in Jaffa, Israel. For the last 11 years, he has worked in every summer at the Harvard Ceramic Studio, and has participated at numerous conferences and exhibitions in Korea, USA and Israel.
Although at the beginning of my work with clay I was using Terra Sigillata in oxidation, over the years I have tried various glazing techniques, but always returned to work with Terra Sigillata and Saggar firing. I love the final results, and feel connected to the texture and surprising colorness. In addition, about 11 years ago, I have started to fire my work in a soda kiln, during the summers at the Harvard University’s Ceramic Studio. The results of these soda firings give yet another dimension of depth and texture to my work.
Mark Goudy (US) began exploring using soluble metal salts on low-fired porcelain clay two years ago, with his wife, Liza Riddle, in collaboration with whom he owns a ceramic art studio called Thundercloud. He had over ten exhibitions in the last two years.
My approach is to combine ancient methods of stone-burnishing and earthenware firing with computer-aided shape design to produce talismans that fuse traditional and modern aesthetics. Surface markings are created by painting water-soluble metal salts on bisque-fired clay. These watercolors permeate the clay body, and become a permanent part of the surface when fired. I have a strong affinity for intricate abstract patterns, ones that can’t be fully comprehended with a single glance, an invitation to in-depth exploration.
Roxanne Jackson (US) received her Master in Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004. In the last years, she had many solo and group exhibitions in the US, Canada and Europe. She is an Assistant Professor of Ceramics and Sculpture at The State University of New York, Oswego, NY.
In my work, I explore images of extinction, death and transformation. I am fascinated with the natural processes of decay and destruction – particularly when in conflict with human systems. […] I allow room for intuition – rather than forcing the work to go in a particular direction. Art certainly has many roles – one is to depict and create beautiful objects. But that is not the only way art can serve us.
Marta Jakobovits (RO) graduated in 1971 from the Ceramics Department at “Ion Andreescu” Arts Institute Cluj-Napoca, and in 2006 she received her PhD. in Liberal Arts from the University of Arts and Design, Budapest. She had participated in multiple national and international shows, exhibitions, symposiums and conferences in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania, Italy, Canada, Finland, Denmark and Japan.
Raku is a technique that allows one to obtain very special and organic effects, both surprising and discreet. The expressive potential of the surface is greatly enhanced and can vary according to time and to different types of materials used in the firing process – crumbled paper, sawdust, grass or dry leafs. Because of the strange appearance obtained through the ulterior reductions, the objects that are born through raku seem to me to be part of an ancient world, they appear timeless.
Margrieta Jeltema (IT) lives and works in Milan, Italy. She is a ceramic artist, writer, painter and eager photographer. Her works participated in numerous art biennales in Europe and are being displayed in collections in Europe, Chile and Korea.
Working with porcelain is really easy if you get a bit used to its terrible shrinking, its proneness to distortion, it’s tendency to collapse and its ability to ‘remember’. But there are also many advantages over other clays. It is easy to join dried pieces together, or repair a piece before baking. It is easy to glaze using a brush (saving on amounts of glaze), as most unevenness will disappear in the high temperatures.
Maciej Kasperski (PL) lives and works in Poland. He graduated from the Ceramics and Glass Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw in 1996. At present, he is a Tutor at the Ceramics Faculty of AFA in Wroclaw, Poland. He has participated in over thirty exhibitions in the last 10 years.
I am interested in the mutual relations between the form and the function of an object. It is connected with my belief in an exceptional aesthetic value of every-day items. Functionality comes for me as a starting point for analyzing an aesthetic form.
I aspire to make art understandable, if not on the level of rational or intelectual analysis, then at least on the level of feelings, senses or aesthetic pleasure.
Jim Kraft (US) is a successful ceramic artists based in Seattle, Washington. With over forty exhibitions being held over the last 20 years, his works are displayed in numerous public collections in the USA.
I enjoy working with the idea in mind of smaller parts making up the whole. Tiles covering a wall. Vessels made with coil and brick-like pieces, or cut and torn clay parts that make a vessel look basket-like. The vessel form appeals to me on a level that I don’t understand. It is a sort of mystery. When I am out in the world and see such a form I am immediately drawn to it. As much as I am concerned with surface texture it is ultimately the simple form of a vessel that appeals to my eye.
Cynthia Lahti (US) is one of the most renowned ceramic artists in Portland, OR, and had over thirty exhibitions in the last 20 years. Her most recent solo exhibition, “NURSE”, at pdx contemporary art, received great reviews.
My goal is to create works of art that resonate with honesty and reflect the beauty and chaos of the world. My art is influenced by human artifacts from ancient times to the present, as well as by my personal experiences and emotions. Like the varied objects I draw on for inspiration – from 1940s knitting catalogs and outsider art, to Native American cedar carvings and Degas’ sculptures of dancers – my artworks force an explanation of reality and compel viewers to connect to a larger human experience. I work in various media, including drawing, collage, and sculpture.
Claire Muckian (IE) received her BA (Hons) in Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Ulster, Belfast, in 2011. In 2010, she was accepted to undertake the Assistantship Programme at the International Ceramic Research Center, Guldagergaard, Denmark, and had two group exhibitions in Belfast.
Currently, the work centres on obscure, hidden and uncontrolled spaces that arise through the ceramic making process. I construct using fine hand-building techniques such as pinching and coiling to form thin walls. By working this way, interesting spaces present themselves, whilst also highlighting the dialogue between the interior and exterior. Lattice-work (alternating bands of supports and rows) enables me to construct delicate structures that are at once open and closed. Often, I use motifs to denote meanings.
Connie Norman (US) was born in Japan and raised in several countries, on different continents. She is a graduate of the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and she has also studied ceramics in Tokoname, Japan. Her work has been shown nationally and juried into many national shows, including Strictly Functional – Ceramics USA, Origins in Clay and a solo exhibition at NCECA in 2006.
I am fascinated by the rhythmic qualities created by color, texture, and patterns. Decoration and the act of decorating are essential because it celebrates and enhances form and speaks purely of aesthetics. I use pottery as a vehicle to explore decoration and other formal questions. It allows me to investigate form, space and image. My attempt is to make the environment an expressive participant and to address the importance of aesthetics in our daily lives.
Aniela Ovadiuc (RO) has graduated in 2003 from the Ceramics Department at the National University of Arts, Bucharest. In the last years, she had exhibited her works in over 25 exhibitions across Romania, and had participated in international symposiums in Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia.
The artist is a creator. He creates a world and submits it to analysis, meditation, introspection, like a book or a song. In the center of my artistic focus, stands the human being with all the complexities of its human conditions (culture, civilization, evolution, feelings, judgments, instincts). My works translate my thoughts regarding the the existential essence of human beings. In order to find a meaning, I am analyzing the different facets of existence (faith, love, history, reason and connection between them).
Oriana Pelladi (RO) is an emerging artist who lives and works in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In 2006 she obtained her Masters Degree in Visual Arts at the University of Arts and Design, Cluj-Napoca, and since 2001 she had participated in 20 national and international exhibitions in China, Poland, Ukraine and Moldova. In 2010, she was an artist in residence at Fule International Ceramic Art Museum (FLICAM), Fuping, China.
The residence at Fuping has been perfect for me. First of all, I was taken out of the daily context in which I live, away from the little mundane things that interfere with the work. I had my time, I could think and create. I could choose freely from several types of ceramic paste, with high plasticity, provided by the local ceramic factory. It was incredibly nice to work there. Beside this, I experienced working in a studio together with other Romanian and also foreign artists from all over the world – from different generations and with different points of view.
Eugenia Pop (RO) lives and works in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In 1971 she graduated from the Ceramics Department of “Ion Andreescu” Arts Institute Cluj-Napoca. Over the course of the past 40 years, she had exhibited in countries such as Portugal, Canada, Italy, Russia, Germany, France, Japan or USA, and has been awarded for her career by the Romanian Government and Fine Arts Union.
In elaborating a new work, each part has its own magic. The first one is sketching the idea and choosing the right drawing, then follows the modeling and making the negative. After that, the fascination of the firing starts. It is like when a mother gives birth – she doesn’t know how the child will look like or what color his eyes will be. It is just like that after the firing, when you remain charmed by an object, and you say to yourself that this is mine! – its color has changed and it shrank. After you inspect it for a while, you adopt it or not. Sometimes you have to say I’m sorry – this is not mine.
Cristina Popescu Russu (RO) was born in 1951 in Craiova, Romania. In 1975 she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest, and in 1976 she obtained the Master’s Degree in Ceramics. She is a member of various artistic organizations, such as the Romanian Fine Arts Union (since 1980), “Kuratorium Europaische Kulturarbeit”, Beratzhausen, Germany (since 1997), “International Academy of Ceramics” – IAC Geneva, and “International Contemporary Ceramic Art” Vienna (since 2005).
My works were placed under the mark of a symbolism, conceived as a process of ideas. I have been for a very long time influenced by the architecture and the objects that carried religious traits. I almost couldn’t conceive a work without bestowing a profound significance on it. The concept was very important, and not the decorative element.
Liza Riddle (US) began to explore the use of soluble metal salts on low-fired porcelain clay two years ago, with her husband, Mark Goudy, in collaboration with whom she owns a ceramic art studio called Thundercloud.
I seek to create a work which evokes a sense of wonder and mystery, forms that beckon to be held and admired. I find delight in closely observing and then interpreting natural objects and events – weathered boulders on a mountain slope, wind ripples on a gray blue sea, complex designs on a delicate bird egg – their rhythms, patterns and forces have greatly inspired my work.
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