Benedikt Wiertz Bonn, b. 1955

Benedikt Wiertz develops a practice centered on ceramics as an artistic language and a vector for encounters. His works emerge from the tension between matter and form, tradition and invention, functionality and expression. Vases, totems, and sculptural objects take shape through the brutality of the material and subtle gestures, revealing textures, imperfections, and asymmetries that evoke earth and fire, touch and time. Deeply interested in Eastern firing and glazing techniques — especially Anagama kilns and Shino, Tenmoku, and Celadon glazes — his practice draws from ancient knowledge that values chance, flow, and imperfection as signs of presence. In his firings, which can last up to 70 hours, ash fused by firewood generates unique hues, expanding the organic and spiritual dimension of his work. In recent years, alongside artist Joseane Jorge, he founded the Xakra studio in Serra da Moeda (MG), where he conducts research with local materials, hosts artist residencies, and cultivates connections with the local community. In this context, ceramics also asserts itself as an expanded field of exchange and collective creation — a porous territory where individual practices and sensitive sharing are interwoven.

His solo exhibitions include: Cru e Transitório (2025, Galeria GTO, SESC Palladium, Belo Horizonte – Brazil), Cerâmica (1998, Palácio das Artes – Fundação Clóvis Salgado, Belo Horizonte – Brazil), and Intenções e Movimentos(1997, Centro Cultural UFMG, Belo Horizonte – Brazil).