Wei Bao and Yves Malfiet Win at Premio Faenza, Ceramics Reflect on Emilia Romagna Flood

The 62nd edition of the Premio Faenza, a biennial international ceramics competition organized by the MIC Faenza for eighty years, awarded prizes to Yves Malfiet (over 35 category) for his installation 'Paradiso eclettico di terra' and Wei Bao (under 35 category) for 'Courtyard Twilignt Series IV'. Both works use clay to address extreme weather events, notably the flood that hit Emilia Romagna months earlier. Wei Bao, the first artist in the prize's history to undertake a two-month residency at MIC's laboratory, created works for the exhibition 'Turbinii e sentieri' in the museum's Project Room (September 2 – October 29, 2023). His research focuses on the fragile human-nature relationship, studying ancient civilizations and circular dwellings. In dialogue with MIC director, he highlighted the flood by recovering clays and materials damaged by water, collaborating with Museo Zauli. He cites the Confucian philosopher Xuncius (3rd century BCE): 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it,' a metaphor for the people-emperor relationship now extended to nature's power. The exhibition's two parts reflect this dualism, with the second part minimizing artistic intervention to accept natural deformation and breakage.