EKWC / European Ceramic Workcentre

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EKWC / European Ceramic Workcentre

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EKWC | European Ceramic Workcenter | International artist-in-residence

International workplace where artists, designers and architects explore the possibilities of ceramics.

20/10/2026

The residency of … Clara Ines Aramburo Torres (MX)

Searching for a sense of belonging, Clara Arambura embraced the culinary tradition of her home country Mexico. Preparing and sharing food became an important part of her artistic practice as a way to research questions of identity and community. At EKWC she focused on maize, which was domesticated in Mexico some 9000 years ago. Aramburo traced representations of this staple food through the ages, and incorporated the images in several ceramic works. Apart from a series of functional comales – dishes used to prepare tortillas – she made two large pieces that become almost ceremonial with their 115-cm diameter and cosmological iconography that’s both ancient and vibrantly alive. The glazes correspond to the many colours maize can have. A large mosaic of a maize god in the form of a cornstalk feels strangely powerful and present, at once rooted and restless, at home and out of place in this day and age.

To realize her vision of making large-scale comale-like forms, Aramburo had to begin in the plaster workshop, building by mounding up clay and applying plaster on top in layers. This large mould was made in two parts, with an outer ring separable from an inner ring designed to support the work and make demoulding easier - and, in it, she press-moulded with EKWC's roughest white clay-body (WB 1795) then built-up, scratched and stamped decoration. These larger works were reduction fired at 1220 degrees C. with sinter-engobes, celadon and copper-red glazes. Her smaller-scale functional pieces were press-moulded with flame-resistant clay from moulds already in EKWC's mould library and were fired between 950 and 1000 degrees C. to withstand use over an open fire. Aramburo also worked with large slab-built tiles and investigated (corn) ash-glazes.

Acknowledgement: Stichting Stokroos

Images: courtesy of the artist / picture 1 and 2 by

16/10/2026

The residency of … Nicola Chan (GB)

It began with an egg that would be sold in a store in a different world from ours, a world, nonetheless, with eggs and something remotely resembling supermarkets. Everything in there is made of ceramics, even the eggs, or part of them at least; a few are real. The eggs are kept fresh in rotating holders, some of which have no handle at all, while others sport one, or even two — a functional evolution driven by consumerist desire. Strings tied according to strict predetermined patterns keep the eggs in place to ensure their safety during transportation. Eggs are waiting to be wrapped with care on specially designed low-lying stools, conveniently located beneath the rows of rotating holders. The floors are made of tiles with distinct gutters meant to run off broken eggs and their contents. According to Nicola Chan, the store will start selling more products in the near future.

To think through her world-building, Chan worked with 3D modelling software and, from her drawings, printed filament maquettes which became positives for multi-part plaster slip-casting moulds. She worked with porcelain slip and, from the outset, began experimenting with reduction firings and glazes (celadon and tenmoku). She then scaled up her work, producing a series of press-moulded stool-like sculptures in coarse red and white clay from large, milled, two-part plaster moulds and a set of hand-made wooden moulds. These were finished with terra sigillata and/or left unglazed.

www.nicola-chan.com_chan

13/10/2026

The residency of … Benjamin Deguenon (BJ)

The Vodun masks that inspired Benjamin Deguenon’s work at EKWC are part of the culture of the various peoples of Benin. They are living entities that play an important role in society. The Egungun mask, for instance, embodies the ancestor returning to bless the living, while the Gèlèdè honours the mystical power of mothers. Some masks cover the entire body in elaborately embroidered textiles and raffia, some tower over the onlookers, like the cylindrical Gounouko that protects the harvests. Deguenon kept his impressions relatively small, except for one set of separate elements that will combine with raffia to form a life-size mask. All the sculptures he made are teeming with fantastic animals, people and an occasional windmill, executed in Delft Blue to symbolise the dialogue we so desperately need in this divided world. And the Delft Blue’s colonial connotation? Ah, yes, that might be something we have to talk about.

Deguenon worked primarily with EKWC’s fine white, but also red, black and recycled, clay bodies to produce his series of masks and figurative sculptures. His works were low-bisqued then glazed, oftentimes, with a white, glossy glaze and thin layers of cobalt tinted glaze, applied with brushes, slip-trailers and in washes.

Instagram:

02/10/2026

TEST CASE XXVIII: GENTLE REMINDER

October 3, 14:00–17:00

The fifteen current residents of EKWC kindly invite you to the open studios tomorrow, to see their work in progress and chat about their process.

Come and meet Gabriele Nasole, Marina Laura de Caro, Te-Yen Hsu, Savia Mahajan, Guusje Beeftink, Carles Tarrassó, Kamonchanok Wongwiboonsat, Wie-yi T. Lauw, Jacob Hoving, Sih-Chin Wu, Pao-Hui Kao, Sana Musasama, Christian Schwarz, Amy Lewis and Bill Cravis.

Meanwhile, EKWC alumni Chris Hoeben, Cathy Lu, Daniel Molyneux, Wilma Stegeman, Silvana Hurtado Dianderas, Jan Steenman and Yamu Wang will exhibit recently finished work.

Finally, we have a special guest in the kiln hall: Arash Fakhim. He shows work he made in EKWC last year and he will cook ghormeh sabzi (an Iranian herbal stew) for us.

Test Case XXVIII
date: October 3, 14:00–17:00
location: Almystraat 10, Oisterwijk (NL)
admission: free

A one-hour guided tour can be booked online at www.ekwc.nl

Work by: Sasha Fishman -
Photo by:

29/09/2026

Masterclass slibdecoratie met Niek Hoogland

In oktober en november geeft pottenbakker Niek Hoogland twee masterclasses slibdecoratie, de techniek die hij als geen ander in Nederland beheerst.

Deelname
De tweedaagse masterclass in samenwerking met het EKWC is bedoeld voor professionele kunstenaars en designers die met keramiek werken en nieuwsgierig zijn hoe ze deze eeuwenoude techniek in hun eigen praktijk kunnen toepassen.

Data
23-24 oktober en 13-14 november 2026.

Programma
Dag een: introductie in het Nederrijnse slibversierd aardewerk met een bezoek aan een steengroeve en Keramiekcentrum Tiendschuur in Tegelen, en Museum Petershuis in Gennep
Dag twee: praktijkgedeelte op het EKWC, waar Niek Hoogland diverse decoratietechnieken demonstreert, waarna de deelnemers deze toepassen op al aanwezige leerharde werken.

Kosten
De voertaal voor de masterclass is Nederlands. De kosten voor twee dagen zijn €375,00 (incl. BTW), met een korting van €90,00 voor EKWC alumni. Materialen, stookkosten, koffie en lunches zijn bij de prijs inbegrepen. Vervoer, overnachting en overige maaltijden zijn voor eigen kosten.

Aanmelden
Via de EKWC webshop (zie link in bio)

Vragen?
Annelies Broenink, [email protected]

17/09/2026

The residency of … Fileona Endoxa Dkhar (IN)

The typical shape you get from squeezing a piece of clay seems too trivial to mention, and yet it warrants reflection. When Fileona Endoxa Dkhar lost her grandfather during her residency and flew to India for the funeral, she took some clay with her and asked her loved ones to squeeze it tight. The result is a collection of bony, archaeological reminders of their existence, gestures that express an intense desire to hold on to life, to each other. Dkhar made much more, of course. A set of graphite sculptures, for instance, meant to be swaddled in cloth home-woven from ‘peace silk’, which doesn’t require the silkworm to be boiled. Or the porcelain mementoes, moulded on folded letters reminiscent of 17th-century locked letters, acting as placeholders for letters she wished she’d written to loved ones, near and far. And, finally, the three figurines, representing the artist, her mother, and grandmother.

Dkhar worked on a series of tile mosaics that were slab-rolled from fine white stoneware. She scratched and press into the clay to produce patterning and added delicate petal-like forms by hand. The tiles were finished with an array of glazes and iris lustre. Beside this, she made a series of red and black clay weavings, fired at high temperatures in both oxidation and reduction environments. A group of small hand-built black-clay sculptures were also reduction fired, giving them a distinct metallic sheen. Her porcelain locked letter series were made by marbling blue coloured porcelain with the white porcelain body and then stamping, cutting and sculpting out the shapes.

Acknowledgement: supported by Hanzenfonds

www.fileonadkhar.comdkhar

10/09/2026

Masterclass Slip Decoration by Niek Hoogland

In October and November this year, potter Niek Hoogland will give two masterclasses to acquaint fellow professionals with slip painting, the technique he masters like no one else in the Netherlands.

The first masterclass will be on 23 and 24 October. The programme will start with a day of visits to a clay quarry and Ceramics Centre Tiendschuur in Tegelen, as well as Museum Petershuis in Gennep for an introduction to slip-decorated Lower-Rhine ceramics.

The second day, EKWC will host the practical part of the masterclass, conducted by Niek. After a demonstration of various slip-decoration techniques it’s up to the participants to apply them to the leather-hard works that have already been prepared.

Will there be some ‘connection’ with this centuries-old technique? Will it lead to something exciting? As the Germans say: wir sind gespannt!

The masterclass, which will be conducted in Dutch, is meant for creative professionals working with ceramics, primarily artists and designers. The costs for two days will be €375.00 (VAT included), with a €90.00 discount for EKWC alumni. This covers coffee and lunches, as well as materials for the masterclass and firing. Overnight stay and other meals are not included.

The second masterclass will be on 13 and 14 November.

For tickets, see link in bio.

07/09/2026

TEST CASE XXVIII: INVITATION
�October 3, 14:00–17:00

The fifteen current residents of EKWC kindly invite you to the open studios, to see their work in progress and chat about their process.

Come and meet Gabriele Nasole, Marina Laura de Caro, Te-Yen Hsu, Savia Mahajan, Guusje Beeftink, Carles Tarrassó, Kamonchanok Wongwiboonsat, Wie-yi T. Lauw, Jacob Hoving, Sih-Chin Wu, Pao-Hui Kao, Sana Musasama, Christian Schwarz, Amy Lewis and Bill Cravis.

Meanwhile, EKWC alumni Chris Hoeben, Cathy Lu, Daniel Molyneux, Wilma Stegeman, Silvana Hurtado Dianderas, Jan Steenman and Yoamy Wang will exhibit recently finished work.

Finally, we have a special guest in the kiln hall: Arash Fakhim. He shows work he made in EKWC last year and he will cook ghormeh sabzi (an Iranian herbal stew) for us.

Test Case XXVIII�date: October 3, 14:00–17:00�location: Almystraat 10, Oisterwijk (NL)�admission: free

A one-hour guided tour can be booked online at www.ekwc.nl

Work by: Sasha Fishman -
Photo by:

04/09/2026

The residency of … Marisa Rappard (NL)

At first glance, the tiles for Marisa Rappard’s wall tableau evoke a landscape where nature and technology meet. “Well, actually, they are robotic figures,” she says. And indeed, once the tableau has been assembled, roads and buildings readily transform into limbs and torsos, mechanic bodies start marching in file. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the artificial workers suffer from drudgery in much the same way humans would. Two more robots are spread out on the floor like flat effigies of medieval knights, drawn up from dozens of ceramic pieces of various shapes, textures, colours in a distinctive handwriting. “The legs are less green than I had expected,” the artist says. Now the robots look like rusty old machines, which suites them. They might represent the archaeology of an uncertain future. Is it us? Is it them? And can we still tell? Rappard gave the robots mask-like humanoid faces, blank mirrors of our destiny.

During her residency, Rappard worked to translate her drawings (and drawing practice) into clay. She experimented with gesture, line, and texture. With the assistance of advisors, she made a plemp-mass and threw it into wooden moulds along with unfired, broken and discarded clay, producing a series of thick, abstract relief-like tiles. Her two large robot-figures were also assembled from series of tiles with an array of line-work, texture, thickness and reduction glazes. A set of two low-relief ceramic wall murals were constructed and cut from slabs, with texture and depths added on top. Finally, a series of heads were modelled by hand and made into two-part plaster moulds for press-moulding. Rappard generally began with low-bisques, followed by 1220-degree C. reduction firings - and her glaze research/application included oxide washes, celadon, tenmoku, copper-reds, etc.

www.marisarappard.nl

Acknowledgement: Supported by Van Achterbergh-Domhof

01/09/2026

The residency of … Aimée Zito Lema (NL)

As the first artist in residence at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Aimée Zito Lema is especially interested in the process of restauration, as a particular relationship with the past. Can we mend historical rifts with the same consideration we invest in restoring damaged objects? Zito Lema asked the archivists if they could find Roy Taylor’s photographs of the 1983 occupation of the museum. For several weeks, a large group of artists camped in front of Rembrandt’s famous painting The Night Watch in protest against plans to end a national support programme for the visual arts. Zito Lema regards the occupation as an act of concern and care for culture, something worth fighting for. She used her EKWC residency to reproduce the artists’ sleeping bags and blankets, which in turn talk about protecting the body. Working with ceramics for the first time, she soon found out that this material too demands care.

Zito Lema cast a series of large, one-part silicon rubber moulds from sleeping bags and blankets; into these she press-moulded EKWC’s coarse white and manganese-rich black clay bodies. Her glaze research included the use of sinter engobes mixed with a variety of oxides and the use of Egyptian paste - an ancient sintered-quartz ceramic material that can be modelled or pressed into moulds. Zita Lema applied her Egyptian paste into moulds and fired it at low temperatures in sand.

www.aimeezitolema.com

Photo credit: Aimée Zito Lema, Gestures of Care, work-in-progress for Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Artist in Residence, 2025 / Photos 1, 2, 4, 9: Jordi Huisman.

Adres

Almystraat 10
Oisterwijk
5061PA

Telefoon

+31133031180

Website

https://ekwc.nl/

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