The Future of Ceramics

May 24 and 25, 2024 Seeschloss Ort, 4810 Gmunden

CITY OF CERAMICS - CONFERENCE -GMUNDEN

The city of Gmunden partnered with the University of Arts Linz, Department of Sculptural Conceptions / Ceramics invite a number of contemporary artists to Gmunden within a two day conference in order to discuss their relationships towards ceramics. 

CITY OF CERAMICS is the title of a whole series of projects – such as the CERAMIC CONFERENCE – taking place as part of the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024.

There is a reawakened interest in ceramics which has turned the ceramic material from a craft related or industrial material into one of the hottest materials within the arts. As the University of Art and Design Linz offers the only contemporary artistic degree program with a focus on ceramics in Austria, it is necessary to reflect on the current situation but also on possible future developments. This is even more important because the amount of ceramics focused departments in art colleges and universities across Europe has declined in recent years, as material focused departments shift to accommodate more digital and media-oriented approaches.

Through inviting a broad panel of artists to Gmunden, we will delve into artistic practices and attitudes, discussing whether ceramics can still be seen as a counterweight to an increasing digitisation, counteracting a loss of tangibility in the world; looking at transformations and developments between a traditionally craft based medium sitting on the borders of contemporary art, to a revival and pushing of the artisanal through a new lens. Through looking at ceramics as more than just a material, we can question its position moving forward and explore what conceptual changes might be seen in the future. 

Artists
Isabelle Andriessen, Liz Craft, Matthew Lutz Kinoy, Mire Lee, Lindsey Mendick, Giles Round, Jennifer Teets, Thu Van Tran

Theorists
Dr. Rainald Franz, Genoveva Rückert, Veronika Schreck, Ranti Tjan

Further information on the conference program and registration can be found here.