Menu
The poetics of erosion. The ceramic work of Cecília de Sousa
Cecília de Sousa stands out as one of the most important names among the artists who dedicated themselves to ceramic production in the second half of the 20th century. Her work is endowed with a poetic expression, of line and color, which gains a bigger identity and is accentuated in the progressively material contrast of her objects.
Few artists worked ceramics to the extent that Cecília de Sousa did. She introduced time, erosion, the memory of creations and archaic civilizations into her creations, building pieces that seem almost archaeological, testimonies of forgotten ages and ignored cultures.
Despite the evident brutalism of some objects, the excessive dimensions, all are punctuated by a subtlety, a sweetness that captivates us, not immediately, but when we get lost observing them, feeling the accidents and wear and tear to which they were subjected. A little bit as the face can testify to an existence made up of many moments, traced by countless experiences, chiselled by life.
Such is the work of Cecília de Sousa, a ceramist who, starting from the logic and aesthetics of her time, discovered, in her journey, the path of timelessness and who now makes herself known in the Gallery of the Old Captaincy of Aveiro, part of the XVI International Biennial of Ceramics of Aveiro.
This exhibition is a cooperation with Museu Nacional do Azulejo – National Azulejo’ Museum
Fragile Paradise explores the unique beauty of nature, the rich variety of textures and forms, its rhythm and composition, its vulnerability. It also refers to the world’s fragile relationship with nature, and our interdependence and dependence on biodiversity. It’s a frightening prospect that humanity may potentially destroy all of nature’s wonders. The art works are a reflection of the artist’s close observation and connection to the natural world, its resilience and fragility, while also acknowledging lost links between humanity and nature.
A connection with nature is vital for people’s psychological and physical wellbeing and is key to fostering greater understanding and respect for the natural world. May you be inspired by visiting this exhibition to slow down, reconnect with nature, and above all, contribute to its conservation
“The work process is intuitive, I develop series where I experiment materials, shapes with different approaches that generate diversity of work.
I start from a simple element in which it is visible the repetition of the gesture and the fingerprint of the fingers, which remains as a record of the process. From these elements, grouping them, I build the pieces. The slow and paused time it requires is also incorporated, is contained in its conformation and becomes clear in its structure.
I explore the properties of clay, stoneware or porcelain. Ephemeral architectures, small habitats, shelters, nests, shells, are pieces built with thin blades of a mixture of porcelain and paper that present a fragile and delicate aspect.
Paisajes de Humo is a work in which I experiment the cooking process, in which fire and chance decide the traces of smoke that are printed on the surfaces.
Oxides and pigments add colour, an element present in much of my work due to its power and ability to provoke and communicate sensations.”
In scope of Latvia Ceramics Biennale with this year’s title “Troubled Waters” the creative current from Baltic countries has reached our partners in Aveiro, Portugal. Exhibition represents professional artists from Baltic countries, selected by a team of curators aiming to portray the current situation in ceramic art in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
This Exhibition is a cooperation with Latvia Ceramics Biennale.
Curadores: Valentins Petjko (LV); Aivars Baranovskis (LV); Agne Šemberaité (LT); Pille Kaleviste (EE).
Artistas: Agnė Šemberaitė (LT); Aivars Baranovskis (LV); Anne Türn (EE); Annika Teder (EE); Audrius Janušonis (LT); Dainis Lesiņš (LV); Dainis Pundurs (LV), Dalia Laučkaitė-Jakimavičienė (LT); Egidijus Radvenskas (LT); Eglė Einikytė-Narkevičienė (LT); Elīna Titāne (LV); Ilona Romule (LV); Ingrid Allik (EE); Jolanta Kvašytė (LT); Jurgita Jasinskaitė (LT); Juss Heinsalu (EE); Juta Rindina (LV); Kadi Hektor (EE); Kauri Kallas (EE); Laura Põld (EE); Lauri Kilusk (EE); Leena Kuutma (EE); Lilija Zeiļa (LV); Milena Pirštelienė (LT); Ojūna Batbajara (LV); Pille Kaleviste (EE); Raili Keiv (EE); Rasa Justaitė Gecevičienė (LT); Remigijus Sederevičius (LT); Rudis Pētersons (LV); Rūta Pakarklytė (LT); Rūta Šipalytė (LT); Sander Raudsepp (EE); Una Gura (LV); Valda Podkalne (LV); Vive Väljaots (EE)
The various Portuguese artists/ceramists members of the IAC – International Academy of Ceramics organize, for the first time, a collective which will be a unique exhibition. The exhibition presents the individual selection of each author, establishing their creative identity, their signature in a challenging and demanding space, in its double dimension: Aveiro International Artistic Ceramics Biennale and Morgados da Pedricosa Gallery.
“All starts with the encounter with a site, a valley in Normandy, with its cliffs and rocks sculpted by the sea and a beach at their feet. Wonder for what nature is able to create and which is disappearing. So why not keep the memory of it with the moulding of this beach as a «vanishing point», keep its imprint. The beach changes with each tide, the material moves and shifts, an utopian undertaking to confront this invisible migration of the elements, these unstable landscapes, fascinating as well as disturbing.
To this history of the mineral matter migration was coupled the one of humans and the one of ceramics history – the influences between civilizations and the crossing of cultures. This project, in development for 10 years, pushes me to travel. Along the coast, I first went north for a residency at the famous Royal Delft factory in the Netherlands. The coastline to the south took me to the imposing Vista Alegre factory near Aveiro in Portugal.
Whatever the country, the place, my approach remains the same with the starting postulate of the curiosity of the encounter.
The encounter with people and with places, with their history, their cultures, their gestures. A set of mediums emerge from this time of immersion, ceramics, photographs, drawings, videos. They each embody in their own way the spirit of the place and the personal angle through which I perceive a context. The pieces that are born from this protean material crosses eras, between traditions and contemporary forms.”
Creative residencies held in November 2022 and July 2023. In collaboration with the Cities of Aveiro and Rouen / Cultural season France – Portugal with the participation of Vista Alegre and the support of Craft Limoges and Institut Français.
The center of the Cloister of Santa Casa da Misericórdia is open, in an immediate connection with the cosmos, as well as with interior introspection and reflection. Around these ideas arises the Binomial, which focuses on the ideas of interiority, exteriority, verticality or horizontality, as accesses to this complex understanding. The works reflect these concepts, express these dimensions from the formal point of view, establishing inevitable dialogues with the architectural space.
Curators | Marta Castelo e Pedro Matos Fortuna
Artists | Ana Franco Neto; Andreia Gomes Pereirinha; Anja Hallek; Bárbara Fernandes; Bárbara Jasmins; Beatriz de Almeida Pisa; Catrina Farinha; DAphne Klagkou; David V Arraia; Francisca Martins & Pablo Díaz; Inês Duarte Justo; Inês Teles; Irene de Vilder; Isabel Bentes dos Santos; Jéssica Pinto; Mafalda André; Maria Henrique; Marta Galvão Lucas; Noah Thor Alhalel; Paco Moreno; Paola Quiñonez; Pedro Dionísio; Vera de Serpa Soares.
The International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics of Aveiro has been taking place since 1989. For the school community to actively participate in the Biennial, the project “Biennial goes to School. The Poetry of Form” unite the written word to the ceramics, by the hand of the artists residing in Curva Atelier, letting the words also be shaped and expressed by the plasticity of the clay. Schools worked on the theme “The Journey of the Word”. The Word is a sound and it is also a story and it contains a whole world. When it first gains body, its support is ceramic. And everything changes… With a body of clay, the Word travels farther and transcends generations. Pottery began the path of the Word and all that we want to say and communicate to the future. What about us? What do we want to say to the Future? Let’s use the Word. And let’s get the message through the hands of the pottery. The clay again transformed into a vehicle of Art, a thruster of ideas through
In collaboration with Open Arms, the installation Vessel Light aims to shine a light on the crimes against humanity that take place at sea, where many people lose their lives in an attempt to save themselves.
What is represented by the artwork is a cargo ship, or commercial vessel, carrying ‘modules’ without distinction between goods or people. It is set to respond with light and interact with the audience, who will be able to hear the voices of the people involved in a rescue. Victims and rescuers.
Exhibition in cooperation with BACC – Biennlale Arte Ceramica Contemporânea [Italy] and the support of Open Arms.ORG
Interactive art installation composed by wooden table, embroidered cotton tablecloth with conductive thread, Soundboards, Gold lustre on porcelain, Light Sensors, Speakers. 120 cm x 120 cm x 80 cm
SOS: The Coffee Table explores the significance of women’s porcelain collecting and its psychological, emancipation and social functions. The project aims to reframe coffee table gatherings, utilizing ecologically sensitive methods and materials in circuit building to reflect on colonial histories and power dynamics. The artists incorporated the lustered gold found in collectable porcelain as part of an interactive electronic installation. By drinking coffee different sounds are triggered. The performance seeks to establish friendships, share secrets, and reclaim power.
Two performances by the artists, will take place on the 29th of October [11:30 and 17:00].
Placing the ceramics on an artistic and decorative level, the Pixel color installation stresses the colours and sparkles of the Urban Atelier collection to create a captivating visual effect and a dynamic display of colour gradation.
It has a chromatic screen composed of hundreds of pieces of various colours, carefully selected, creating a dynamic and visually appealing pattern.
Performare_Aveiro is a transdisciplinary project, which, based on the practice of ceramics, investigates, deepens, approaches and connects areas such as textile art, sculpture and performance art with the aim of finding public space and disquieting social space through the creation of a sculptural installation.
Using a site-specific methodology, the sculptor Patrícia Oliveira will develop, for three weeks, with a group of inhabitants of Aveiro, an intervention for a public space, taking the local heritage [the Tricanas, the clothing, the shawls] as a starting point for the investigation practice that already began in 2021, during the first participation in the Aveiro International Artistic Ceramics Biennial.
+351 234 406 300
«National landline call»
museucidade@cm-aveiro.pt
