2004

This unprecedented exhibition boasts the participation of major arts media from both Taiwan and abroad, an international jury panel, a range of international exhibition professionals, and 692 ceramic artists from 47 countries. On Jan. 23, 2004, the concerted efforts of all, from soliciting artworks and preliminary selection, to global shipment, unpacking and inventory, to final selection and display, will reach fruition as 124 works of ceramic art from 26 countries and territories are finally unveiled before the eyes of Taiwan.
 
The works featured in this competition display an astonishing creative diversity – very different artists, from different regions of the world, rooted in different cultural backgrounds. Yet simultaneously, they reveal an increasingly rich global exchange of culture. The artists often seek to identify themselves and their own place in the broader context of an increasingly internationalized world, as artistic expressions frequently transcend the focus of local environments and individual perspectives.
 
Clay is an element of the surface of the earth. Because different climates and different environments have fostered different ecosystems and forms of life, the seeds of art have blossomed into distinct flowers of creativity in different cultural milieus. This art form that takes the soil itself as its medium exhibits the cultural influences of different lands, and reflects human civilization’s pursuit of growth, and its desire to break through to new achievements. The Taiwan Ceramics Biennale, while nurtured in the soil of Taiwan, brings together art from around the world. Through the participation and commitment of the artists, an international panel of judges, specialists working at a variety of levels and the Taiwanese people, everyone can share in Taiwan’s unique experience in the world of ceramic art.