Presentation
Aveiro has a privileged place in the centuries-old tradition of ceramic creation and production, being synonymous with identity as a factor of innovation and economic, social, and cultural development for the city, the municipality, and the region.
Celebrating and promoting artistic ceramics as a distinct and distinctive art form, and striving for its creative dynamism in the future, the Aveiro International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics was created in 1989 and is now in its 16th edition. It has been more than three decades of consistent commitment, which, since 2017, has gained unparalleled momentum as a result of the commitment and investment made by the Aveiro City Council, on the path to affirmation and consolidation on a global scale.
The Biennial, as we affectionately call it, has its largest ever participation in this edition, with 565 artists and 915 works in competition. Represented are 62 nationalities from five continents, combining and showcasing, from Aveiro to the world, different geographies, conceptual lines, techniques, and methodologies of artistic work with ceramic paste.
This upward trajectory is only possible thanks to the action and concatenation of a Whole, and we would like to express our deep gratitude and recognition to our partners, namely the International Academy of Ceramics, the European Grouping of Ceramic Cities, the European Route of Ceramics, and the Portuguese Association of Ceramic Cities and Towns, which we have the honor of presiding over, together with our long-standing partners: our University of Aveiro, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, and Vista Alegre, which in 2024 will celebrate 200 years of existence.
We would like to thank everyone who made this edition a success, especially the jury, who had the difficult task of selecting only 9% of the works submitted for exhibition, the national and international artistic community, the main protagonists of this entire process, and our small but great team at Aveiro City Council for their hard work and dedication to this project, which will soon provide us with a contemporary art museum space dedicated exclusively to artistic ceramics, designed by architect João Mendes Ribeiro, which we are presenting publicly at this 2023 Biennial.
We continue together, inviting everyone to enjoy the program of this 16th edition of the Aveiro International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics, which runs until the end of January 2024, with the relevance of being the highlight exhibition that marks the start of Aveiro, Portuguese Capital of Culture 2024, experiencing with us the uniqueness of having a Year as a Stage, in an Infinite Scenario.
The Mayor
Eng. José Ribau Esteves