Argilos
22 September - 11 November 2023
Opening cocktail:
September 21st 2023,
6pm - 10pm
Carwan Gallery
Polidefkous 39, Pireas 18545,
Athens, Greece
Opening cocktail:
September 21st 2023,
6pm - 10pm
Carwan Gallery
Polidefkous 39, Pireas 18545,
Athens, Greece
Carwan Gallery is thrilled to announce a landmark ceramics exhibition in Greece, in collaboration with Milan-based non-profit, Fondazione Officine Saffi. The exhibition introduces a curated selection of 27 ceramic artists from across the globe, most of whom are shown in Greece for the first time. Carwan Gallery's trailblazing projects in contemporary design meet Fondazione Officine Saffi's collection of extraordinary ceramics, in a dialogue-driven exhibition that sets a new precedent for cultural collaborations within the gallery's already diverse programme.
This partnership between Fondazione Officine Saffi and Carwan Gallery is a testament to their longstanding mutual respect: their connection, established through encounters at exhibitions and events across Europe, is rooted in a shared and ongoing dedication to the exploration of groundbreaking design and craft.
Founded in 2011, Fondazione Officine Saffi is renowned for its commitment to fostering new research and experimentation in ceramics, working on the intersection between fine art, craftsmanship, and collectible design. Through a multidisciplinary approach comprising exhibitions, educational programmes, residencies, and publications, the foundation actively encourages dialogue and engagement with ceramics, appealing to a wide audience — based on a firm belief in the transformative potential of this medium within the realms of art, culture, and society.
The exhibition at Carwan Gallery offers a comprehensive overview of artists from Fondazione Officine Saffi's remarkable collection, highlighting the foundation's extensive research in 20th-century and contemporary ceramics. Spanning from the 1970s to the present, the exhibition underscores the foundation's enduring commitment to ceramics as a compelling artistic medium. The showcase encompasses both functional and non-functional ceramic pieces, most of which specially commissioned by Fondazione Officine Saffi and now part of its collection. Every artwork on display is pushing the boundaries of the medium, showcasing the limitless creativity, expressiveness, and plastic potential of clay, in a visual and material conversation between the past and the present.
The exhibition takes the form of a large-scale design installation inside Carwan Gallery's flagship space in Piraeus. All the pieces are presented together on a grand plinth at the gallery's centre, constructed using humble concrete hollow blocks, a material commonly found in rural settings as the basic material of quotidian architecture. This design concept presents the artworks as fragments of a collection in progress, creating a visually striking narrative.
The roster of artists featured in this exhibition includes 20th-century masters who have significantly influenced contemporary ceramics, especially during the transformative 1970s and 1980s. Their works engage in a compelling dialogue with mid-career artists, as well as emerging talents, bridging generational and stylistic trajectories. Notable highlights encompass the celebrated 20th-century artist Carlo Zauli, a trailblazer in Italian modern ceramics, as well as influential international figures in the world of contemporary ceramics, such as Torbjørn Kvasbø (Norway), Shozo Michikawa (Japan), Johannes Nagel (Germany), and Anders Ruhwald (Denmark/USA).
Artists on show: Gordon Baldwin, Claudi Casanovas, Roger Coll, Mia E Göransson, Morten Løbner Espersen, Ian Godfrey, Turi Heisselberg Pedersen, Keiji Ito, Sangwoo Kim, Yasuhisa Kohyama, Torbjørn Kvasbø, Loredana Longo, Shozo Michikawa, Kazuhito Nagasawa, Johannes Nagel, Colin Pearson, Irina Razumovskaya, Päivi Rintaniemi, Anders Herwald Ruhwald, Nina Salsotto Cassina, Christina Schou Christensen, John Shea, Zsolt József Simon, Shingo Takeuchi, Kati Tuominen-Niittylä, Ann Van Hoey, Carlo Zauli.
This partnership between Fondazione Officine Saffi and Carwan Gallery is a testament to their longstanding mutual respect: their connection, established through encounters at exhibitions and events across Europe, is rooted in a shared and ongoing dedication to the exploration of groundbreaking design and craft.
Founded in 2011, Fondazione Officine Saffi is renowned for its commitment to fostering new research and experimentation in ceramics, working on the intersection between fine art, craftsmanship, and collectible design. Through a multidisciplinary approach comprising exhibitions, educational programmes, residencies, and publications, the foundation actively encourages dialogue and engagement with ceramics, appealing to a wide audience — based on a firm belief in the transformative potential of this medium within the realms of art, culture, and society.
The exhibition at Carwan Gallery offers a comprehensive overview of artists from Fondazione Officine Saffi's remarkable collection, highlighting the foundation's extensive research in 20th-century and contemporary ceramics. Spanning from the 1970s to the present, the exhibition underscores the foundation's enduring commitment to ceramics as a compelling artistic medium. The showcase encompasses both functional and non-functional ceramic pieces, most of which specially commissioned by Fondazione Officine Saffi and now part of its collection. Every artwork on display is pushing the boundaries of the medium, showcasing the limitless creativity, expressiveness, and plastic potential of clay, in a visual and material conversation between the past and the present.
The exhibition takes the form of a large-scale design installation inside Carwan Gallery's flagship space in Piraeus. All the pieces are presented together on a grand plinth at the gallery's centre, constructed using humble concrete hollow blocks, a material commonly found in rural settings as the basic material of quotidian architecture. This design concept presents the artworks as fragments of a collection in progress, creating a visually striking narrative.
The roster of artists featured in this exhibition includes 20th-century masters who have significantly influenced contemporary ceramics, especially during the transformative 1970s and 1980s. Their works engage in a compelling dialogue with mid-career artists, as well as emerging talents, bridging generational and stylistic trajectories. Notable highlights encompass the celebrated 20th-century artist Carlo Zauli, a trailblazer in Italian modern ceramics, as well as influential international figures in the world of contemporary ceramics, such as Torbjørn Kvasbø (Norway), Shozo Michikawa (Japan), Johannes Nagel (Germany), and Anders Ruhwald (Denmark/USA).
Artists on show: Gordon Baldwin, Claudi Casanovas, Roger Coll, Mia E Göransson, Morten Løbner Espersen, Ian Godfrey, Turi Heisselberg Pedersen, Keiji Ito, Sangwoo Kim, Yasuhisa Kohyama, Torbjørn Kvasbø, Loredana Longo, Shozo Michikawa, Kazuhito Nagasawa, Johannes Nagel, Colin Pearson, Irina Razumovskaya, Päivi Rintaniemi, Anders Herwald Ruhwald, Nina Salsotto Cassina, Christina Schou Christensen, John Shea, Zsolt József Simon, Shingo Takeuchi, Kati Tuominen-Niittylä, Ann Van Hoey, Carlo Zauli.