“Matéria Nova: A New Age in Portuguese Ceramics” runs until 15 October at the SomoS Arts Space in the German capital; Beatriz Salvador curates it, with support from the Directorate-General for the Arts (DGArtes) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

The exhibition brings together Maria Madalena Marques, Andreia Pereirinha, Cristiano Ramos, Catarina da Silva, Mara Lisboa, Cristiana Alves, and Anotio—artists selected as part of a research project on the evolution of Portuguese artistic ceramics over the last two decades.

“Matéria Nova emerged from a project encompassing research, curation, graphic design, and artistic direction, initially developed as a Master’s thesis at the Media University in Berlin,” Beatriz Salvador told Lusa.

The research included an open call conducted in collaboration with fine arts programs in Lisbon, Porto, and Caldas da Rainha, making it possible to gather artists with distinct approaches to clay and ceramics.

According to the curator, Portuguese ceramics are experiencing “a particularly interesting moment,” characterised by a renewed interest in the material and a growing international presence.

The exhibition aims to introduce an international audience to alternative ways of using clay as a contemporary artistic medium, at a time when Portuguese ceramics are still frequently associated with functional ware.

“The works range from sculpture to installation, performance, video, and sound ceramics,” noted Beatriz Salvador, highlighting the diversity of artistic languages ​​employed by the seven artists.

The works include experiments with 3D printing and sound ceramics, as well as ceramics used in conjunction with performance and audiovisual elements. Some artists also revisit traditional or ancestral firing techniques, integrating them into contemporary artistic expressions.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say there is a clear break with previous generations,” the curator observed, emphasising the combination of “traditional knowledge and processes with contemporary technologies and languages.”

The choice of Berlin stems from the city’s international character and the project’s own history; it was in the German capital that Salvador conducted the research for her master’s degree, which gave rise to the exhibition.

“Presenting the exhibition here is, in a way, closing that circle and transforming the research into a public exhibition,” she explained.

The partnership with SomoS Arts Space—an independent venue dedicated to contemporary, interdisciplinary practices—places the works within an international context of exhibition and artistic exchange.

Salvador also hopes the project will help “broaden horizons regarding what a ceramic object can represent.”

“Ceramics can be sculpture, but they can also produce sound, be part of a performance, engage with video or installation art, interact with new technologies, or revive ancestral processes,” the speaker noted.

The opening is scheduled for 2 October and will feature a public discussion with the artists and the curator.

For some of the seven artists, this will also be their first international exhibition experience.

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