The exhibition “Mater Ceramica. Living and Current Matter” has concluded, organised by the Italian Cultural Institute of Warsaw and the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, in collaboration with the Emilia Romagna Region. Through twenty works from the MIC Faenza collection, the exhibition showcased the evolution of artistic ceramics, from the early 20th century to contemporary productions.
The exhibition project began with the Liberty period, featuring works by Domenico Baccarini and Galileo Chini, the design of Gio Ponti linked to the production of large manufacturers like Ginori, the eclectic taste of Arturo Martini and Francesco Nonni, leading up to the contemporary language represented in the second half of the 20th century by artists such as Lucio Fontana, Fausto Melotti, Leoncillo, Enrico Baj, and in the current production, the hyper-realistic works of Bertozzi&Casoni and the material-based pieces of Giacinto Cerrone, Antonio Violetta, and Alessandro Roma.
The exhibition was included in the programme of the Italian Design Day 2025, entitled “Inequalities. Design for a Better Life”, which in Poland focused on the theme of ceramics.
The initiative, organised by the Embassy of Italy in Warsaw, the Italian Cultural Institutes in Warsaw and Krakow, and the Italian Trade Agency in Warsaw, in collaboration with Confindustria Ceramica and the MIC Faenza, was inaugurated with institutional greetings from the Ambassador of Italy to Warsaw, Luca Franchetti Pardo, who highlighted how ceramics emblematically represent the Italian approach to design, being both rooted in tradition and open to innovation. Claudia Casali, Director of the MIC Faenza, also intervened, pointing out how the exhibition provided a snapshot of ceramics over time, through recognised Italian artists, to illustrate its extraordinary artistic and design vitality.
At the closure of the exhibition in Warsaw, musicians from Ravenna, Camilla Lopez and Matteo Ramon Arevalos, performed a musical project entitled “Mater Ceramica. Sounds from Time“, born out of a research on the relationship between music and ceramic art.
The “Mater Ceramica” exhibition will be displayed at the Italian Cultural Institute of Krakow at the Bolesławiec Ceramic Museum from 11 April to 15 June 2025.
