Kneaded Knowledge

The history of ceramics is as old as the history of technology. Today ceramics are found everywhere in science from automobile components to computers and superconductors. The progress of ceramics in art has mirrored its progress in science, and as new applications for ceramic materials have been found in the world of technology, new ways of working with them have been explored by artists.

Supported by the AVL Cultural Foundation, the Kneaded Knowledge exhibition was an exploration of ceramic art. Encapsulating thousands of years of the history of ceramics, the exhibition ran from September 2016 to February 2017 at the Kunsthaus Graz. The event was curated by the renowned Peter Pakesch with support from famous ceramicist Edmund de Waal and globally revered artist Ai Weiwei. It featured works by Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Alison Britton, Hans Coper, Lucio Fontana, Lydia Benglis, and of course Ai Weiwei and Edmund de Waal.

Through the medium of ceramic art, visitors can see how artists through the ages have physically worked with the material. It explores the art, the function, and the creativity of the people who made the works, and the cultures for which the works were made. And in reflecting this, it connects us with our own past and heritage through the physical medium of ceramics.