Génération Céramique exhibition

For some twenty years, thousands of young artisans and artists worldwide have chosen to use clay as their medium of expression. This movement has been both widespread and remarkably lasting. The reasons for its success are many; they are deeply rooted in the global sociopolitical context, the need to exist individually and collectively and to find solid ground in a tottering world.

Simultaneously, ceramics has clearly drawn nearer to contemporary art. Theoretical and aesthetic questions, hovering between the visual arts, philosophy, psychoanalysis and sociology, continue to interact, shifting discourses and borders.

In this context, the Fondation d’Entreprise Bernardaud is exhibiting the works of 20 international artists it deems representative of what we choose to call the Ceramics Generation, which came to artistic maturity after 2000 and has nourished our senses, intellect and imagination over the past twenty-five years.

The Ceramics Generation has seen divisions erased by the internet and social networks, the emergence of new modes of commerce, and ever more urgent ecological issues. It has invented its own rules, achieving early maturity and unprecedented creative freedom.

In its unique exhibition space, where a tunnel kiln connects these ultracontemporary works to the epic history of the Manufacture Bernardaud, where shadow plays its role in an astonishing scenography, Ceramics Generation offers surprises and wonders.

20 artists represented