BRUSSELS.- Following its first edition, gathering almost 13,000 visitors, ceramic brussels, the world's leading international contemporary art fair dedicated to ceramics, launches the programme for its second edition, to be held from January 22nd to 26th 2025 on the Tour&Taxis site in Brussels.
Ceramic Artists on Creative Processes (How Ideas are Born) offers a representative selection of the work of some of the best ceramic artists and an insightful and visually rich book about ceramics and the origins of creativity.
“We've been buoyed by an exceptional response from galleries, collectors and institutions: thanks to this enthusiasm, we're back this year with a bigger, livelier and more international edition in every way!” announces Gilles Parmentier, co-director of ceramic brussels.
The fair continues to feature its distinctive scenography, structured around two large circles, and welcomes some 65 Belgian, European and International galleries (+20% vs. 2024), allowing visitors to discover over 200 artists during the 4 public days.
opening to the modern
For its second edition, ceramic brussels officially opens its doors to modern art galleries. “This opening will enable the public to transport themselves back in time and offer a formidable (re)perspective on the various approaches to the medium by artists”, explains Jean-Marc Dimanche, co-director of the fair. Initiated in 2024 with the participation of Galerie Michel Giraud (FR), this opening gives numerous galleries access to the fair's aisles, including HELENE BAILLY (FR) - Picasso solo show, Anne Sophie Duval (FR) - Vassil Ivanoff solo show, Thomas Fritsch ARTRIUM (FR), Patrick Lancz (BE) and Hungarian gallery acb Galéria (HU).
a remarkable international mobilisation
A large number of Belgian galleries, both established and emerging, will be defending the boldness and quality of their proposals at this second edition. Among these, galleries already present at the inaugural edition in 2024 (Almine Rech, Sorry We're Closed, Transit, Jonathan F.Kugel, Modern Shapes, Spazio Nobile, La peau de l'ours, Zwart Huis and many others).
Among the modern and contemporary galleries, a strong presence of French galleries. Notable arrivals include Mennour, Sèvres, Aurelien Gendras, MBA fine Arts and Galerie Yves Gastou, as well as the return of galleries attending in 2024 (Capazza, Lefebvre et Fils, Galerie du Passage, Romero Paprocki and many others).
Last but not least, we would like to highlight the involvement of a number of international galleries: Joanna Bird Gallery, Han Collection (England), Hostler Burrows x HB381 (USA), Yod Gallery (Japan), Peach Corner (Denmark), Reuter Bausch Art Gallery (Luxembourg) 2 and Galerie Tanit (Lebanon/Germany) ... In all, almost 15 countries are represented at the fair.
Elizabeth Jaeger, guest of honour 2025
Elizabeth Jaeger, a sculptor born in San Francisco in 1988 and currently living in New York, is our guest of honour for this second edition of ceramic brussels. The American artist succeeds Johan Creten (guest of honour 2024) and will benefit from an exhibition at the entrance of the fair, co-curated by Jean-Marc Dimanche.
Represented by the prestigious Galerie Mennour, Elizabeth Jaeger explores notions of memento mori, integrating emotions and experiences into hand-made representations of everyday objects and figurative sculptures. Her work, which often combines ceramics and bronze in stunning installations, constantly confronts viewers and draws them into her personal narrative.
“We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth Jaeger as our guest of honour. Her innovative approach and profound artistic expressions make her an ideal candidate for our fair, which aims to showcase the most innovative and challenging works in contemporary ceramics,” says Jean-Marc Dimanche, co-director of ceramic brussels. “The participation and confidence of Galerie Mennour is also a strong signal about the quality and the project of the fair”, he adds.
focus on the Norwegian scene
In collaboration with Norwegian Crafts, the fair offers an exceptional immersion in the Norwegian art scene thanks to the participation of 5 galleries: QB Gallery, RAM Galleri, Kiosken, Format, and Skog Art Space. “The focus on Norway - built in dialogue with Norwegian Crafts - will take the form of an immersion into the heart of a vibrant scene. This is in line with our commitment to diversity, innovation and cultural dialogue within the fair. The announcement of this focus was saluted with great enthusiasm! We've received numerous messages from galleries and institutions, as well as a great deal of interest from journalists and collectors alike, welcoming this initiative,” explains Gilles Parmentier, co-director of the fair.
ceramic brussels art prize: 10 European winners
Initiated by ceramic brussels, the art prize aims to highlight the vitality and diversity of contemporary ceramic practice and support contemporary creation. The call for artists is open to art students and/or young artists living in Europe, not represented by a gallery, with no age limit. It is open to artists with less than 10 years' practice and research in the field of ceramics.
The 10 laureates of the ceramic brussels art prize 2025 - selected by an international jury from over 320 applications - will be presented in a group exhibition, curated by Jean-Marc Dimanche and open to the public free of charge.
3 free exhibitions to discover in Belgium
Thanks to the collaboration of three partner institutions, each ticket purchased for ceramic brussels will entitle the holder to visit 3 free exhibitions in Belgium before March 31st 2025! This unique coupon - given for each ticket purchased on the ceramic brussels ticketing platform - will enable visitors to discover the following institutions:
a series of new features at the fair
An area dedicated to publishers of art books and publications welcomes Editions des Ateliers d'Art de France, returning to present periodicals and art books devoted to ceramics, crafts and contemporary art. German publisher Arnoldsche Art Publishers, a world leader in art jewelry and ceramics publications, will also be present with a series of books complemented by works of art. The young independent Brussels publishing house RSVP Editions, specialised in modern and contemporary art - with a focus on the history of ceramics in the 20th and 21st centuries - will be sharing the space.
• A conference area hosting some 15 lectures and debates over 4 days, from Thursday January 23rd to Sunday January 26th included (detailed programme on December 10th, 2024).
• A pop-up restaurant, in partnership with a Brussels chef (Benjamin Schijns), will complete the range of catering options at the fair (Fernand OBB).
• An illustrated 65-pages manifesto magazine in FR/DU/ENG, dedicated to ceramics and the challenges of the fair, produced and published in partnership with AMA magazine.
• A monumental artistic intervention to be unveiled on the opening day, by a duo of artists...
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