Clay collective – International ceramic symposium
At “La Casina” in Figline and Incisa Valdarno (Province of Florence), 3 – 11 August 2019
Dialogue and constructive exchange between professionals are necessary elements for the success of a
symposium; the term originally also referred to convivial and conversation moments in which to give space
to the debate. With these premises, a group of ceramic artists has planned a real symposium, sharing the
desire to experiment with clay-mediated contemporary art.
The idea, cradled for years by Karin Putsch-Grassi, a German-Italian ceramist trained in London and long
residing in Tuscany, has become a reality; the purchase and renovation of an eighteenth-century farmhouse
called “La Casina” in the Leopoldino land registry, went hand in hand with the desire to actively confront
other ceramists. Other promoters of the initiative areEvandro Gabrieli, Roman ceramist, creator and organizer of many collective initiatives, and
Silvia Granata, from Cesena who won awards in numerousinternational ceramic competitions. After years of meetings on various occasions, with a frenetic personal activity full of satisfaction in Italy and abroad, the group has identified a new possibility for artistic growth in
the form of the symposium. The invitation was therefore extended to other artists such as:
Helene Kirchmair,Laura Scopa and Antonio Taschini. Each artist brings very different knowledge and
experience, refined over the years both on a technical and stylistic level. Identities that are highly
recognizable, but equally motivated to engage in dialogue and capture interesting ideas in the work of others
and, perhaps, future possible collaborations.
The initiative, unlike other international symposia supported by institutional bodies, was born and developed
among professional ceramists; however, a time of opening to the public is foreseen in which you can preview
the work done. Among other purposes, the symposium intends to be a stimulus for sharing best practices. For
this reason the group has decided to address the work in residence towards modular forms; the single parts
ideally assembled will constitute a large installation adaptable to future display situations.
Preliminary to work in residence, each participating artist was asked to deal with a single work, one of the
modules identified as a unit of collective work. The comparison between the expressive registers of each one
will be the vital spark for the interaction between the artists; during the residency period, participants will
have the opportunity to work effectively in work pairs. Another technical characteristic chosen by the
participants is to work with a single type of high temperature clay, possibly decorated with engobes and
glazes.
During the period of cohabitation, moments of presentation of the individual works are planned in order to
make the individual artistic instances more comprehensively understood.
The symposium to be held from
3 to 11 August 2019
at “La Casina” in Figline and Incisa Valdarno, is the
first event hosted in the new artistic space inserted in the Chianti hills. The recently restored rustic
environment has been redesigned to accommodate groups of artists who want to develop and explore artistic
themes of all kinds.
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Biographies:
Evandro Gabrieli (Roma, 1974) >
https://www.evandroceramiche.com/
Silvia Granata (Cesena, 1970) >
https://www.silviagranata.it/
Helene Kirchmair (Hall in Tirol – A, 1981) >
http://www.helene-kirchmair.com/wp/
Karin Putsch-Grassi (Wuppertal – D, 1960) >
http://www.putsch-grassi.it/
Laura Scopa (Urbino, 1978) >
https://www.formeattuali.it/
Antonio Taschini (Roma, 1967) >
http://www.antoniotaschini.it/
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Clay Collective open day: saturday 10 August 2019, h. 16-20
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Press-office:
Lampi Creativi