CERAMIC BRUSSELS IN ITS THIRD EDITION
words by VERONICA TLAPANCO SZABÓ
If you’ve ever engaged in the practice of ceramics, you’ll know firsthand how meticulous and precise it demands you to be, and yet how malleable the clay remains to your intentions. You shape, fire, and wait, hoping that the kiln will be kind. It’s a practice that reveals just how much care goes into every piece, and it’s this very devotion that Ceramic Brussels brings back to Tour & Taxis. Marking its third consecutive year as the first international art fair devoted entirely to the art of ceramics running from January 22 to 25.
Angelika Stefaniak, Mating Dance, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Ceramic Brussels
Once again, this ancient medium has proved that it can stand the test of time by reinventing itself over and over again and strike a very contemporary cord. This year’s edition brings together a curated selection of 75 galleries, showcasing works by nearly 200 artists. Among them, galleries from the Netherlands — CHAxARTxRTM, Galerie dudokdegroot, Galerie Fontana, and Rademakers Gallery — will present solo and group exhibitions that underline the medium’s breadth and vitality with a special Dutch wink.
Chris Rijk, Wish You Were Gay. Glazed earthenware, 80 x 40 x 40 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Rademakers Gallery
A defining feature of Ceramic Brussels is its annual focus on a single country’s craft, and in 2026 the spotlight turns to Spain, as part of EUROPALIA ESPAÑA 2025–26. Seven Spanish galleries will come together to reveal a ceramics scene that is still too little known but houses some exceptionally bold colours and generous forms.
left: Manuel Barreiro Paparolo, Compact Soma, 2025. Glazed stoneware, 56 x 47 x 36 cm. Courtesy of the artist and METRO
right: Inclined Soma, 2023. Glazed stoneware, 52 x 59 x 30 cm
Supporting emerging voices is what makes the Ceramic Brussels fair what it is. The group exhibition of the 10 laureates of the 2026 Ceramic Brussels Art Prize offers a glimpse into the future of the field, with the jury-prize winner awarded a solo presentation at the 2027 edition. This year you can discover a solo exhibition by 2025 prize winner Léonore Chastagner and a monumental monographic presentation by Elmar Trenkwalder, this year’s guest of honour. Known for his towering, organic forms, Trenkwalder’s work anchors the fair with intensity.
Danny Cremers, Vase 1 and 4, 2025. Ceramic Brussels Art Prize Laureate 2026. Courtesy of the artist and Ceramic Brussels
With talks, conferences, awards, a pop-up bookshop, and spaces to pause and reflect, Ceramic Brussels lends itself to visitors as an entire embodied experience that you shouldn’t miss if you’re around! Tickets are now live on their website!
