Benedikt Wiertz Bonn, b. 1955
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Biography
"With a career in ceramics spanning nearly four decades—and an abiding interest in the time embodied within the material and the process itself—Benedikt Wiertz, a German artist based in Brazil, presents a large-format series created using materials sourced directly from his studio grounds: earth, wood, fragments of termite mounds, and plants from the Serra da Moeda region in Minas Gerais. From the raw clay to the glazes and other finishing materials, everything is produced without industrial processing; the artist thus infuses his signature style with a rawer aesthetic, making the radical handling of the material visible."
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).
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Works
Benedikt Wiertz Bonn, b. 1955
Buddha’s Blues, da série “Undomesticated” [Buddha’s Blues, from the series “Undomesticated”], 2026Grês cerâmico, engobes de porcelana, argilas locais, fragmentos de argilas naturais, porcelana, elementos torneados, cinza e esmaltes variados
[Ceramic stoneware, porcelain engobes, local clays, fragments of natural clays, porcelain, turned elements, ash and various glazes]82 x 50 x 50 cm
[32 1/4 x 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 in]Copyright The ArtistO título da obra faz referência à música “Birds Canticum”, de Dhafer Youssef. A superfície da obra é construída em camadas de engobes de porcelana e argilas locais, formando uma...O título da obra faz referência à música “Birds Canticum”, de Dhafer Youssef. A superfície da obra é construída em camadas de engobes de porcelana e argilas locais, formando uma composição texturizada com fragmentos de argilas naturais e porcelana incrustados na estrutura cerâmica. A peça incorpora elementos torneados, integrados à composição da superfície. Recebe vidrado à base de cinza e camadas de vidrados variados, que contribuem para a formação da superfície e de suas diferentes texturas. Queimada em forno a gás a 1280 °C.
[The title of the work refers to the song “Birds Canticum” by Dhafer Youssef. The surface of the work is built up in layers of porcelain engobes and local clays, forming a textured composition with fragments of natural clays and porcelain embedded in the ceramic structure. The piece incorporates turned elements integrated into the surface composition. It is glazed with ash-based glaze and layers of various glazes, contributing to the formation of the surface and its different textures. Fired in a gas kiln at 1280 °C.]Exhibitions
![Benedikt Wiertz, Buddha’s Blues, da série “Undomesticated” [Buddha’s Blues, from the series “Undomesticated”], 2026](https://static-assets.artlogic.net/w_2400,h_2400,c_limit,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/artlogicstorage/mitregaleria/images/view/87be3d29c8a2414e32ee292e3c89fbffj/mitregaleria-benedikt-wiertz-buddha-s-blues-da-s-rie-undomesticated-buddha-s-blues-from-the-series-undomesticated-2026.jpg)