Aug. 29 – Sept. 12, 2010
Todi – Italy

This year the Art Festival in Todi features an additional event: a small but very qualitative ceramic exhibition organized by the Ab Ovo Art Gallery and titled “Zeus and Europa”.

Features artists: Antonella Cimatti, Wanda Fiscina, Victor Greenaway, Kati Junger, Rebecca Maeder, Rita Miranda, Luca Schiavon, Roland Summer, Ane-Katrine Von Bulow, Christina Wiese.

Leonardo Persico, owner of the Art Gallery, explains why he picked up this unusual name: “the idea was to be in line with the theme of Todi Art Festival, Cupid and Psyche. So I tried to dig into my school reminiscences and I came up with another myth, perfect for a ceramic exhibition, Zeus and Europa”.

Zeus fell in love with Europa, ran with her to the island of Crete, where he revealed his identity and seduced her. Eventually she became the first queen of Crete.

And here is the link: Crete is a synonym for clay in Italian and our continent was named after the goddess Europa and is the home land of the ten artists who are participating in the exhibition.

The artists speak different languages, use different techniques and have different sensibilities. However, they share the language of pottery making and live in a dimension where no translation, no passport and no borders are needed.

We visited the exhibition yesterday, Manuela and I liking very much the works of some of the artists on display. The visit was absolutely above our expectations. The works are breathtaking and Leonardo paid us the honor of acting as a guide, telling us interesting anecdotes on the personality of the artists and their pottery.

If you decide to visit the exhibition, don’t forgo a stop at the Gallery. You’ll find other interesting ceramics and also some textile art and hand made jewelry.

About the artists

Antonella Cimatti (Faenza – Italy)
Her latest collection is made in porcelain paper clay. It’s a freehand technique, where the material is molded with a syringe on concave or convex supports. Fragile and unconventional works, inspired by the “Crespine” from the Renaissance, Antonella’ pieces are aesthetically accurate, full of grace and feminine character. Lately she’s been experimenting with optical fibers. Her latest installations at “Ceramics – A history of women” in Faenza is a miracle of light and magic.

Wanda Fiscina (Salerno – Italy)

The expressive power of Wanda’s sculpture interprets myths and legends of the Mediterranean sea and of her home land, where the beauty is everywhere, in the ruins of a glorious past, in the sun shining on yellow lemons, in the intimidating shape of the Vesuvio.
Her first solo exhibition was in Naples in 1978. Since then she’s never stopped collecting positive reviews.
The exhibitions features two works belonging to the collection “Condensazioni”

Victor Greenaway (Australia – Italy)
Born and educated in Australia, Victor is spending more and more time in Orvieto in Umbria.
He earned a reputation for fine craftsmanship and innovative ceramic design.
The exhibitions features some of his elegant executed bowls made in porcelain of Limoges. Delicate, thin shapes unexpectedly full of colors.
He also works with the ancient Etruscan black-fired technique of bucchero.

Kati Junger (Germany)
She grew up in a family of artists  her father being one of the world’s most renowned and influential goldsmiths. Kati’s pottery is not for the hasty viewer. It needs a close inspection to unfold its beauty, its superior technique and inner richness. Her wonderful collection of teapots is really impressive and so is the physical impact of her vases.
Some of her works show the influence of Arabic and Byzantine art on the artist, especially the use of glazed mosaics and golden details.

Rebecca Maeder (Switzerland)
A young ceramicist who is becoming increasingly popular all over Europe. Her “Archigonies” on display in this exhibition, her “Zoophytes” and her porcelains are half way between the world of animals and vegetables. Primordial strength, wildlife are in perfect harmony with fragility. For her organic, biomorphic she uses the oldest techniques, refusing any “modern” tool.

Rita Miranda (Todi – Italy)
Rita is a young artist who has found her congenial technique in Raku. Her works own a perceivable sense of balance, harmony and proportion no matter their size, which is gradually increasing. She is inspired by nature. Definitely a ceramicist to keep an eye on.

Luca Schiavon (Abano Terme – Italy)
Luca grew up in a family of artists. Already experienced in pottery making, he perfected his technique in Japan in 1980. His works own a classic resonance and a formal taste which makes them very distinctive. He likes experimenting with volumes, bending them to express a kind of controlled energy.
The exhibitions features a number of pieces from the collection of vases with a flat head.

Roland Summer (Austria)
He is one of the most important European ceramicist. He has developed a technique that he has named “Lost Glaze”. His stoneware pieces are burnished and coated with a thin layer of Terra Sigillata, a technique used by the Greek to decorate their famous red and black pottery. After a first firing another layer of Terra Sigillata is applied and the piece is fired again. Then slip is applied and often glaze too. Then  the piece is fired again using a raku technique with subsequent saw dust reduction. After the firing, the application of water cracks the slip, that is removed, giving way to a most sophisticated work of art. Roland’s pieces are a miracle of technique and remarkable presence, combining classical proportions and architectural forms with the deliberate irregularities created by the his unique process.

Ane-Katrine Von Bulow (Denmark)
Her colors are black and white and her works are an original combination of tradition and high tech. She transfers graphic screen prints on thin porcelain supports, using a 3D manual serigraphy. A technique that won her many prizes

Christina Wiese (Austria)
Christina’s ships are a compendium of past and present, sign and meaning, symbol and history. She molds the clay to create their heart and bones, then she adds various materials: objects she finds in her outdoor walks in the woods or along watercourses. It’s the work of a magician, a interpreter of dream … a great artist…

Zeus and Europa
Caffè del Teatro Comunale
Todi

Ab Ovo Gallery
Via del Forno, 4 (Trav.Via Ciuffelli)
Todi (Pg)
Ph: 0039 075 8945526