Held across Aichi Prefecture—at Aichi Arts Centre, the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum and Seto City, which has 1,300 years of ceramic-making history—the festival is known as a place where tradition meets the contemporary and local craftsmanship meets global practice.
This year is particularly significant as, for the first time, the event has been curated by a non-Japanese artistic director, Hoor Al Qasimi from Sharjah, who brings a fresh perspective and new artists to the forefront. The theme, A Time Between Ashes and Roses, taken from a poem by Syrian writer Adonis, explores the complex relationship between humanity and the environment, particularly the devastating effects of war and industry while also recognising the hope for regeneration.
8. ‘Fil Al Shaar’ (2020)
Abu Dhabi-based artist Afra Al Dhaheri, uses inorganic materials like ropes and organic matters such as human hair to express the contrasting concepts of strength and fragility, public and private and inside and outside.