The Terracotta Biennial brings together creators, professionals and the general public in an open and participatory environment, with exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations, discussion spaces and talks. This combination connects La Bisbal d’Empordà’s long-standing ceramic tradition with contemporary trends, consolidating the city as a capital of ceramics and a point of reference on the ceramic map.

The main aim of the event is to highlight creation, experimentation and the most innovative ceramic practices, fostering technical, conceptual and cultural dialogue around the material and the creative process.

One of the event’s main attractions and central features is the Contemporary Ceramics Gallery, which will host around twenty exhibitor spaces. This exhibition area acts as a major showcase where ceramicists and artists can display and sell their work. It provides a direct point of connection, bringing author ceramics closer to the general public, collectors and gallery owners, while stimulating the art market and increasing the visibility of talent within the sector. The ceramic pieces and compositions exhibited will be unique and original, and will be accompanied by a conceptual narrative.

Within this same pursuit of excellence, the Associació de Ceramistes de la Bisbal promotes the Terracotta Biennial Ceramics Award. This award was created to recognise talent, encourage creativity and honour the best artistic proposal presented at the event. Beyond providing recognition and prestige to the winning creators, the award also helps reinforce the high standards of quality and excellence that define the Biennial.

Each new edition of the Biennial focuses on a specific theme that connects ceramics with a professional sector through technical sessions structured around keynote lectures, sector-specific forums and round-table discussions. This year, the focus will be on the relationship between ceramics and architecture. The aim of these sessions is to provide a space for reflection where ceramicists and anyone interested in ceramics can share knowledge and learn about the latest developments in the chosen field, guided by professionals.

Since its beginnings, the Biennial has stood out for offering a rigorous forum for discussion around new trends. In its first edition, in 2020, the event focused on new technologies and ceramics, with particular emphasis on the application of 3D printing. More recently, the 2024 edition explored the relationship between ceramics and architecture, delving into its historical and contemporary role as a building, decorative and interior-design element.

In 2026, the Ceramics Forum for Meeting and Reflection, the event’s space for discussion and lectures, will be structured around the theme “Contemporary ceramics as a driver of transformation.”

The aim of this new edition is to highlight and demonstrate the ability of contemporary ceramics to influence and transform different areas of society, culture and the economy, while positioning the ceramic sector as an active agent of change. It seeks to demonstrate that a millennia-old craft remains fully relevant today and is capable of responding innovatively to the challenges of the contemporary world.

The programme is structured around three main themes:

· Transforming the territory – ceramics, architecture, heritage, landscape and sustainability.

· Transforming perceptions – art, creation and new languages.

· Transforming matter – fire, experimentation, processes, design, new technologies and innovation.

These themes are intended to build a narrative of progressive transformation: first, the way we look at ceramics changes; then, its relationship with place; and finally, the way we understand and work with the material itself. The programme brings artists, ceramicists, researchers and professionals into dialogue, connecting tradition, experimentation and innovation.

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Activities

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Open doors to the Contemporary Ceramics Gallery and the Museum.

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Opening of the Terracotta Biennial.

7:00 pm
Guided tour of the exhibition “Santi Moix: en ombres silents i entre somnis”. Led by Xavier Rocas, curator of the exhibition.
Venue: Temporary Exhibition Hall.

7:30 pm
Guided tour of the exhibition ECOS, by Anne-Laure Cano. Led by the artist.
Venue: “La Peixera” Hall.

8:00 pm
Aka Project. Dance and artistic dialogue. Presented by Natsuki and Lampiria Arts.
Venue: “El Claustre” space.

Unless otherwise indicated, all activities take place at the Terracotta Museu.

Morning

TRANSFORMING THE TERRITORY

Ceramics, architecture, heritage, landscape and sustainability

9:00 – 9:30 am: Welcome

9:30 – 9:45 am: Opening of the Sessions

9:45 – 10:15 am:
Toni Cumella
Ceramics and architecture: transforming space

10:15 – 10:45 am:
Ariadna Asturias (GRETA)
Architecture, territory and social transformation

10:45 – 11:15 am: Break and refreshments

11:15 – 11:45 am:
Ramon Ripoll Masferrer
Ceramics, architecture and the identity of place

11:45 am – 12:15 pm:
Ceràmiques Ferrés
From industrial tradition to innovation: ceramics and architecture

12:15 – 12:45 pm:
Twobo Arquitectura
Ceramics in contemporary architecture: challenges and opportunities

12:45 – 2:00 pm:
Round-table discussion: “Does ceramics shape territory?”
Moderator: Josep Ferrés

2:00 – 4:00 pm: Lunch break

Afternoon

TRANSFORMING PERCEPTIONS

Art, creation and new languages

4:00 – 4:30 pm:
Madola
Ceramics as an artistic language

4:30 – 5:00 pm:
Claudi Casanovas
When ceramics ceases to be ceramics

5:00 – 5:30 pm:
Marc Iturri
Beyond matter

5:30 – 5:45 pm: Break

5:45 – 6:15 pm:
Miquel Alzueta
Who buys contemporary ceramics? Art, collecting and the market

6:15 – 7:30 pm:
Round-table discussion: “When can we stop talking about ceramics?”
Moderator: Joan Raventós

Activities

10:00 am – 8:00 pm: Open doors to the Contemporary Ceramics Gallery and the Museum.

7:30 pm: Opening of the “Pièce Unique” room.
Venue: “Pièce Unique” Room.

8:00 pm: Performance El Temple de la Llum. Poemes visuals i música.
With Pilar Aldana and guest artists.
Venue: Brava Arts, c/ Puig d’en Vidal, 13-19.

Morning

TRANSFORMING MATTER

Fire, experimentation, processes and the transmission of knowledge

10:00 – 10:30 am: Carles Vives (ACC)
Material and experimentation: a starting point for creation

10:30 – 11:00 am: Joan Serra
Fire as a tool for research and transformation

11:00 – 11:30 am: Joan Ramon Rosell
New binders, clays and ceramics

11:30 am – 12:00 pm: Break

12:00 – 12:30 pm: Xavier Mañosa – Apparatu
When craftsmanship meets design and technology

12:30 – 1:30 pm: Round-table discussion: “What does it mean to research with ceramics?”
Moderator: Oriol Calvo

1:30 – 1:45 pm: Closing of the Sessions

Activities

10:00 am – 8:00 pm: Open doors to the Contemporary Ceramics Gallery and the Museum.

1:45 pm: Guided tour of the exhibition “Ceràmica viva (9a edició)”.
Led by the Associació de Ceramistes de la Bisbal i comarca. Venue: “Actualitat” space.

6:00 pm: Terracotta Biennial Ceramics Award Ceremony.
Venue: Contemporary Ceramics Gallery.

“En ombres silents i entre somnis”, by Santi Moix
Temporary Exhibition Hall, Terracotta Museu

“Ceràmica viva (9a edició)”
Associació de Ceramistes de la Bisbal
“Actualitat” space, Terracotta Museu

“Ecos”, by Anne-Laure Cano
“La Peixera” space, Terracotta Museu

“Ceramics and Architecture. Coromina, Rafael Masó and the Genesis of the Gabarra”
“El Claustre” space, Terracotta Museu

FEATURED EXHIBITION

“Exhibition of works submitted to the Terracotta Biennial Ceramics Award”
Venue: Contemporary Ceramics Gallery

“El Temple de la Llum”
Project by Pilar Aldana-Méndez at the Sagrada Família
Brava Arts – c/ Puig d’en Vidal, 13-19

The organisation reserves the right to modify, cancel or add events to the programme as it deems appropriate.