France – The Vallauris Biennale pays homage to Italian ceramic art with the MIC
Terra Italia is the exhibition curated by Claudia Casali, director of the MIC - International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza that the Vallauris Biennale dedicates to Italy, Guest Country of this edition.
The exhibition is also a tribute to the Premio Faenza, which last year celebrated its 80th anniversary, 60 editions.
«The evolution of Italian ceramic sculpture (and not only) - explains Claudia Casali - is deeply connected to this event that over the years has seen the participation of important artists who have distinguished themselves for different artistic languages».
The exhibition develops two themes: the evolution of figuration and gestures in the material.
«Figuration has always been a leitmotif of Italian art and, in sculpture, it has been treated more by artists such as Arturo Martini since the 30s - explains Claudia Casali. - Martini has given birth to an interesting vein that over the years has seen many interpreters express themselves in this theme, to reach the new hyperrealist generations».
The artists in the section "the evolution of figuration" are:
Salvatore Meli, Fausto Melotti, Aligi Sassu, Luigi Ontani, Mimmo Paladino, Guerrino Tramonti, Della Porta, Enrico Baj, Ugo Nespolo, Giuseppe Ducrot, Andrea Salvatori, Alessandro Gallo, Paolo Polloniato, Mattia Vernocchi.
«The material has been treated in its informal declination especially since the mid-'50s. - continues Claudia Casali - The maximum author of this expression is Lucio Fontana (...). From Fontana’s theoretical elaborations come all the manifestations that have followed especially during the '60s».
The artists in the section "gestures in the material" are:
Lucio Fontana, Carlo Zauli, Nanni Valentini, Alfonso Leoni, Giacinto Cerone, Alessandro Roma, Nero/Alessandro Neretti, Silvia Celeste Calcagno, Salvatore Arancio, Sissi.
A space of the exhibition - LIGHTART - is dedicated to the interactive ceramics of Nicola Boccini.
Terra Italia is joined by MADE IN ITALY DESIGN, a tribute to the ceramic design that since the 50s has had its highest expression in Italy, characterized precisely by the term "Made in Italy".
Thanks to the precious work carried out by architect Gio Ponti, ceramic has had a central significance in the rebirth of industrial ceramic factories, in objects and coverings, establishing itself throughout the world for its excellent design.
On display, design objects created by:
Ettore Sottsass, Matteo Thun, Ambrogio Pozzi, Denis Santachiara, Antonia Campi, Bianco Ghini, Ugo La Pietra, Luisa Bocchietto, Diego Dutto, Franco Raggi, Pietro Gaeta, Marco Ferreri, Mimmo Paladino.
The works on exhibit are selected from the contemporary collection of the MIC Faenza.
VALLAURIS 2019/ Biennale Internationale de céramique contemporaine
MIC - International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza
Image: Andrea Salvatori, Stars III, 2011, earthenware and porcelain, cm 70x100x85 (detail)
Courtesy: Andrea Salvatori