On view from January 23 to January 26 at the Tour & Taxis exhibition center, this one-of-a-kind fair is dedicated to the art of ceramics.
It was bound to happen sooner or later. An art fair dedicated to ceramics is the logical conclusion of the ever upward spiral the medium has experienced over the past decade. It chimes with the popularity of potters such as London-based Florian Gadsby, who, with his beautifully simple mugs, bowls and vases, has nearly one million followers on Instagram and has exhibited his work at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. At the same time, major institutional and gallery shows have homed in on artists working in ceramics—and auction prices have boomed. While all things clay were once bracketed as “craft” and “decorative arts,” today they sit firmly in the realm of fine art.
“It is indeed a groundswell that affects all continents today and the timing was right to put the medium back in the spotlight on the international scene,” says Gilles Parmentier, director of the Ceramic Brussels fair that was first held last year. This weekend, the event returns to the Belgian capital and the second edition, which runs January 22-26, will be, says Parmentier, “more international, larger, more lively.” Almost 70 galleries from 15 countries are showing work by over 200 artists.
At the entrance, “visitors will discover an immersive installation by American artist Elizabeth Jaeger,” adds Parmentier. Inside, meanwhile, one section of the fair will focus on 20th-century ceramics—including French gallery Hélène Bailly’s presentation of rare pieces by Pablo Picasso—but the majority of the space is given over to contemporary creation.
Here are some of the highlights:
Hostler Burrows and HB381 Gallery
These two New York galleries both champion Nordic design. Their joint booth features work by Finnish artists Sakari Kannosto, whose work is often both figurative and folkloric, and Caroline Slotte, known for working with antique plates. A standout is one of Helsinki-based Marianne Huotari’s mesmerizing “ceramic wall rugs,” which are inspired by the traditional loom-woven Finnish textile technique ryijy, but consist of hundreds of tiny ceramic elements.