MARTINSONS AWARD 2023
Latvia, Daugavpils, 8 September 2023 –18 February 2024
Application deadline – May 25, 2023
Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics in cooperation with the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre announces an open call for the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 International Ceramics Competition under the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale 2023.
ENTRY CONDITIONS
THEME OF THE BIENNALE
Troubled Waters
In most creation myths worldwide, water is the element that brings new life. A substance from which a divine power separates the earth, life and everything that is. Troubled waters have become a compelling metaphor for flight of thought, an apt material approximation for the intangible. We gaze into the cosmic depths and look for other planets where troubled waters may have brewed another rich organic cocktail from the heaving masses of the global ocean – just like the one that nourished prehistoric life on earth – and brought forth other life forms that – who can tell – may even now be dancing in its waves.
Troubled waters make clay supple and receptive to creator’s touch. They coax the rigid mass to yield to change and new creation. The archetypical perspective on ceramics is tied to reigning in the troubled waters – arresting their flow in a body of clay. The relationship of water and ceramics is as old as the human ability to work with the material. Our stories of ancient civilisations are rooted in archaeological finds, where most artefacts are ceramic objects – little time capsules that have captured history itself and tell of past aquatic presence through their marks.
We, humans, see ourselves as omnipotent creators, wielding all but absolute power to bend the world to our will. Yet we forget some things are still beyond our control. The storms that shake the world today are also rippling in the arts. Their impact can take many shapes and forms, from a polished blade to a shining pearl matured in hiding from the winds.
For more information on conditions of entry visit the link below:
https://www.rothkocenter.com/en/for-artists/biennaleeng/