The event, organized by the Manises City Council, underscores the value of ceramic art and its progression. The Councillor for Culture and Ceramic Promotion, Xavier Morant, emphasized that this edition reinforces the city's commitment to artistic ceramics and the promotion of new creative perspectives that bring value, innovation, and cultural projection to the discipline.
“"This edition reinforces the city's commitment to artistic ceramics and the promotion of new creative perspectives that bring value, innovation, and cultural projection to this discipline."
The Biennial, which can be visited from May 8 to July 31 at the Els Filtres exhibition hall, showcases 486 original and unpublished works submitted by 345 artists from 49 countries. In the artistic ceramics category, the first ‘Ciutat de Manises’ award, endowed with 8,000 euros, went to the work “Soma reflejado” by Manuel Barreiro (Spain). The second award, with 4,000 euros, was for “La Nube” by Rafaela Pareja (Spain).
The ‘Ciutat de Vénissieux’ award for artists under 35, with 1,800 euros, was given to “Wood” by Wang Zhaojing (China). Additionally, the ‘Fundació Museu de Montelupo’ award, which includes an artistic residency in the Italian sister city of Manises, was granted to “Anima” by Alejandra Hermida (Mexico). As a novelty, this year saw the first-time presentation of the ‘Artistic Residency at Lladró S.L.’ award, given to the work “Beyond boundaries” by Marta Armada (Spain). The jury also awarded an honorable mention to “Hoja Marchita” by Liu Danhua (China).
In the ceramic product design category, the ‘Ciutat de Manises’ award, with a prize of 4,000 euros, went to “Donut”, a creation by Anette Leegaard and Alexandru Murar from “Studio SKURET” (Denmark). The winning pieces and other selected works are part of the exhibition open to the public until July 31 at Els Filtres.
In addition to the exhibition, the Biennial offers various ceramic-related activities, such as conferences, round tables, guided tours, screenings from the CICEMA ceramic film festival, and exhibitions by artists awarded in previous editions. Also noteworthy are the exhibitions by Juan Ortí and Carlos Martínez-Mediero, winners of the Biennial in 2024, open until the end of July at the MUMAF hall and the Sala Ceramista Gimeno of the Casa de Cultura, respectively.
The International Ceramics Biennial of Manises is a long-standing project that merges the city's historical ceramic legacy with contemporary trends. This initiative helps maintain Manises as an international reference in ceramic art and design, and is part of the city's recognition as a UNESCO Creative City in Crafts and Folk Art.
