Holiday Journal

• Start
•  
• Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale Gwngju
•  
• Sagimakgol Ceramics Village
•  
• Icheon Naratnim Icheon Rice
•  
• Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale Icheon
•  
• Gyeonggi International Cermics Biennale Yeoju
•  
• Sun Valley Hotel
•  
• Bobaene
•  
• Yeoju Sinreuk Temple
•  
• Yeong Tomb
•  
• Gwangju Jincheon Yukmyeon
•  
• Namhan Fortress
•  
• Finish

World's biggest ceramic festival 'Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale' Icheon : Distinctive Color(異色)

Following the last post of Gwangju, let's go to Cerapia, Icheon. Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale 2015 is held in three cities; Gwangju, Icheon, and Yeoju. It's the world's biggest ceramics festival started from 2001. Each city has theme of biennale event. Each theme – Traditional Color(本色), Distinctive Color(異色), and Multicolored(彩色) – express past, present, and future of the ceramics. This year, 2629 works from 74 countries over the world were submitted to . Icheon CeraMix Creativity Center has 97 works from 28 countries that were lastly chosen. Well, Shall we go in?

+ Theme of Icheon, Gyeonggido : Distinctive Color(異色) - New trends and possibilities of ceramic art

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The exhibition is held at Icheon Ceramics Center(CeraMix Creativity Center) in the Cerapia, Icheon. There is an open space including ateliers and shops of artist. A special exhibition, is held on the second floor. Prize-winning works of are on the third floor.

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Canon EOS 550D | f/8.0 | iso 100 | 2015:04:29 15:03:16 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm

It was rainy when I visited the center, umbrellas filled the sky. How did they know I didn't have an umbrella? There are pretty attractions from markets of ceramics and food to various things to experience, here and there outside the exhibition hall. They have strong festive atmosphere. The festival held in Icheon is the biggest and most spectacular among ones in three cities.

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Let's go into the CeraMix Creativity Center. The Wall at the entrance doesn't look common. It's decorated by various ceramic dishes and tiles. It's also beautiful that the ceiling is filled with wind chimes. It has good mood, doesn't it?

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On the first floor, there is CeraMix Creativity Space that is experimental with combination of different arts, as well as ceramics. You can watch the process of art work, the works that artists made, and purchase them, here.

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There are many pretty character dolls made of ceramics. They are so pretty that I can not step forward to other place.

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In the corner of the first floor, There is the Korea-Japan CeraMix Workshop under the theme, coexistence of 4 colors(四色共存). You can watch a demonstration thanks to the participation of art students and professional artists. A picture above shows the process of making dish with glass by a Japanese glass artist. It seems amazing that a piece of round glass becomes bigger little by little.

These works are on sale. Their quality is so good that I should buy one of them. The picture on the right shows three dimensional flower shapes in the glasses. These glass works give profound and mysterious feelings. They are slightly smaller than tennis ball.

+ Icheon Special Exhibition

There is a special exhibition themed with 'Gathering and Diffusion' on the second floor. This exhibition tests new possibilities of ceramic art with combination of new materials and techniques freeing from the traditional viewpoint.

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From the left, Anniversaries, Speech of the Wild Animal, Silence - Sergei Isupov

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I visit Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale regularly every few years. The biennale of this year is special with pretty art works. It's crowded with many people outside, but there are only a few people inside. It might be because this exhibition is not free. Don't regard it's waste of money. Be sure to stop by this center. You would have strong desire to take pictures of yourself in front of the works.

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It seems very interesting that this kind of works can be made with soil. As one of spectators, I appreciate so much that many artists who must have worked in seclusion get opportunity to show their works through this large festival and competition exhibition.

There are various works that you can experience in person by touching and throwing, as well as many lovely works to watch. There are socks made with clay on the bottom left side of the picture above. It's interesting to throw them into the washtub. There is also an interesting experience that those who stack cups most quickly win the prize. You need to pile them up like the picture on the right. Of course, they are broken when cups collapse or clay socks are thrown, but these special experiences give you good chance to be closer to the ceramics. It's okay to break them, so enjoy enormously!

+ Prize-winning works of

In order to find latest trends in contemporary ceramic arts, it's the fasted way to watch prize-winning works of competition exhibition. This is the world's biggest biennale, so I can watch various works of talented artists over the world at one place. Diverse 97 of chosen works out of 2629 works from 74 countries are put together here. Visitors will be offered a ballot paper to vote on the most popular work award after the festival. Don't forget to vote. All those who participate in the vote will get some present.

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Prize-winning works of the International competition exhibition 2015 are put on exhibition on the third floor. A work in the picture above catches my eyes among them. It's the work made with not only ceramics, but also a video, workbench, and chair used by the artist, sound, and lamp. This is a work made by 'Neil Brownsword' from England. It won the grand prize at the International competition exhibition 2015.

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This one also attracts my attention. It might be intended to show potteries are not made only by hands. The light makes a shadow on the wall and it is shaped in pottery. This is a work called by an Italian artist 'Antonella Cimatti'. I voted on this work for the most popular work award.

Canon EOS 550D | f/5.0 | iso 640 | 2015:04:29 15:50:42 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm

I'm so sorry that I cannot show you all the works. A work called of English artist, 'Andrew Burton' is set out of the exhibition hall. This is the monumental work that implicates the structure of huge but collapsing architecture. A number of tiny bricks piled up with paint and glue. Its surface makes me feel like memories piled up. Andrew won a gold prize in this competition exhibition with this work.

For children, it wouldn't be enough to just watch art works. There are many experience places for them outside the exhibition hall. At the permanent experience center, 'Torakgyosil(土樂敎室, Playing with soil class)’, have many activities that let children enjoy playing with clay and be familiar to ceramics. Experience varies from 10,000 won to 15,000 won.

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There is also a market place that you can purchase works of artists from Icheon, Gwangju, and Yeoju at low prices. Take a look around and choose what you like~

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Plus, there is a space where artists from all over the world make their own works outside. It's very impressive view that artists who have diverse ethnic backgrounds gathered in one place and are creating their work. I was wondering how to make flower patterns on the ceramics, and now I see they were made by stamping like this!

Icheon, Yeoju, and Gwangju, all these three cities hold exhibitions and festivals with unique themes. I recommend you to visit all three cities since they are situated in close distance to each other. If you need to choose only one place, go to the Icheon Cerapia that holds the exhibition with prize-winning works at the contest. This exhibition is the highlight of the Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale.

+ Address : 167-29, 2679beon-gil, Gyeongchungdae-ro, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
+ Telephone : 031-645-0614
+ Festival Period : April 24th ~ May 31st
+ Entrance Fee : Adult 4,000 won, Student 2,000 won, All Access Ticket(Icheon,Yeoju,Gwangju) 10,000 won, Gukmin Card 20% Off
+ Open Hour : 9 am ~ 6 pm
+ Parking Fee : Free