About CCB / Info & history

The International
Cluj Ceramics Biennale

The profound shifts in today's world have strongly influenced the course of contemporary ceramics, an originally sensitive art which evolved towards an interdisciplinary and integrative strategy. The new concepts that are gaining ground attest a type of aesthetics with forms of expression specific to many other genres, the outcome being an ingenious and resourceful alchemy.

Every two years, over the course of a month, Cluj Ceramics Biennale enables a synergistic series of cultural events in several cities: gallery exhibitions, pottery fairs, film projections, workshops, conferences, public round tables and other smaller events, all gravitating around the main international competition for which a renowned jury usually selects more than a hundred artists from around the world. 

Besides this hub for intercultural and inter-professional dialogue, we stimulate visual educational awareness towards this complex art form by introducing new and local viewers to international artists and contemporary art practices. As a mission, we are striving to get national and international institutions to work together with the aim of creating an environment for ceramics in the city of Cluj and other cities in Romania.

The Biennale and all it's connected events are organized by a group of founders through the Ceramart Foundation in Cluj-Napoca. It's traditional supporting partners include Cluj-Napoca Museum of Art, Cluj University of Arts & Design, Cluj Fine Arts College, Romanian Visual Artists Union between other organizations. As a cultural project we have also traditionally co-founded by the AFCN (Romanian National Cultural Fund), Cluj City Hall, Cluj Local Council and various corpoate or private supporters.

Cluj Ceramis Biennale was founded in 2012 and it's first edition took place in 2013, now being in it's seventh year and fouth edition. The event was the results of the collaboration between local artists, organizations and institutions and founded by Arina Ailincăi, Marius Georgescu and Gavril Zmicală. We warmly thank all other artsits who have also been involved over time:Vasi Hirdo, Calin Stegerean, Mihai Florian.

We also have to mention the many locations that graciously lend their space to our events: Cluj-Napoca Museum of Art, The Casa Matei Gallery, IAGA Gallery, Horeb Gallery, Quadro Gallery, OctavianGoga Memorial Museum in Ciucea, Cluj-Napoca French Institute as well as galleries in Bistrita and Bucharest that hosted the best works of each edition after the closing of the main events in Cluj.