Spring brings to mind vivid memories of warm sun breezes and vitality. On such a beautiful spring day, I went to Icheon Cerapia for the opening ceremony of Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale 2015 is.

■ Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale 2015 Opening Ceremony

Korea Ceramic Foundation President Lee Wan-hee’s report on the event

Cerapia is a portmanteau coined from “ceramics” and “utopia”, defined as a utopia made of ceramics. The core of Cerapia is the Icheon World Ceramic Center, a complex that exhibits various ceramic-related works while also offering residency and work areas for artists and hands-on experiential facilities.

Along with the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale 2015 opening ceremony, the international competition winner awards ceremony is held at the center.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil and the international competition awards hosts

The opening ceremony was attended by Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil, Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Chairman Kang Deuk-gu, International Academy of Ceramics President Jacques Kaufmann, National Assembly Member Yoo Seung-woo and Icheon City Mayor Cho Byung-don, as well as the winners of the global competition and visitors who came to enjoy the festival.

Ceramics artists and guests at the opening ceremony

The meaning of Gyeonggi International CeraMIX Biennale 2015 was well expressed in Governor Nam’s opening speech. There is more to ceramics than just a necessary product; ceramics is a treasure that protects precious culture by preserving the traditional culture of history and each country; it is also a communications medium for the eastern and western cultures.

This year marks the eighth year edition of the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale since its launch in 2001. To date, a total of 2,626 pieces from 74 countries have been exhibited, which hints at the true scale of the event. The Gyeonggi International CeraMIX Biennale is emerging as a global cultural and art event.

Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale 2015 is held in Icheon, Yeoju and Gwangju. The event runs from April 24 to May 31, 2015, in Icheon Cerpia, Yeouju Ceramics Land and Gwangju Gonjiam Ceramics Park simultaneously.

I am also planning to visit all three event venues during the festival period. It is a good idea to keep in mind the hidden meaning behind the event held in each region when visiting each venue.

Tickets for Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale 2015

■ Icheon Ceramics Festival: A Glance into Icheon Cerapia

After the opening ceremony at Icheon Cerapia, I looked around the exhibition.

At the third-floor exhibition center, a total of 97 pieces from 28 countries submitted to this year’s international competition are displayed.

An art piece in the international competition exhibition

Concurrently, various events are held in the Torak Lecture Room: making vivid ceramic pieces, Icheon ceramics creative worksite (open studio) fire festival and the clay event.

In addition, don’t forget to thoroughly explore Icheon if you plan to visit the event venue. Themed on “Ceramics Takes up Colors”, the 29th Icheon Ceramic Festival will see the staging of various events in Icheon Cerapia and Sulbong Park.

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