Where the Day Starts
2nd Biennale of Contemporary Keramics
Rhodes, Greece
June 6 – October 31, 2026
The 2nd Biennale of Contemporary Keramics (BCK) opens today in Rhodes, transforming the medieval city of Rhodes into a platform for contemporary ceramic practices from across the Mediterranean.
Running from June 6 to October 31, 2026, the Biennale brings together 42 artists presenting newly commissioned and original works under the title Where the Day Starts.
Founded as a nomadic biennial dedicated to contemporary ceramics, the Biennale moves between Greek islands, drawing inspiration from each location’s distinct history, archaeology, mythology, and cultural traditions. Through this approach, it positions ceramics not simply as a historical craft but as a contemporary artistic language capable of engaging with questions of identity, memory, exchange, and belonging.
For its second edition, the Biennale turns to Rhodes, an island whose position at the crossroads of the Mediterranean has made it a meeting point of cultures, trade routes, and histories for centuries.
According to Greek mythology, Rhodes emerged from the sea when Helios, the sun god, chose it as the home of his beloved Rhodos. As the first land touched by the sun’s rays each day, the island became a symbol of renewal, encounter, and connection. Drawing on this symbolism, the title Where the Day Starts proposes Rhodes not only as a geographical location but also as a metaphorical space for new beginnings and dialogue across the Mediterranean.
The edition is curated by Stamatia Dimitrakopoulos, Loukia Thomopoulou, and Anissa Touati, whose combined experience spans contemporary art, institutional leadership, curatorial practice, and cultural initiatives across Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Reflecting on the curatorial vision, the team notes:
“As curators, we see the Biennale and the Island of Rhodes as a meeting point where the Mediterranean’s diverse histories, traditions and futures come together. Ceramic techniques have crossed shores for centuries, evolving through migration, trade, and dialogue. Today, artists reinterpret these age-old methods to address current questions and create new connections. We aim to highlight both the ancient bonds and contemporary narratives that shape the region, opening space for new perspectives on the Mediterranean’s future.”
The curatorial framework builds on the idea of Mediterraneanism, exploring the region not as a fixed geography but as a network of exchanges, movements, and interconnected histories. Through contemporary ceramic practices, participating artists engage with questions of migration, ecology, memory, cultural transmission, and the evolving identities of Mediterranean societies.
As ceramic traditions have historically travelled through trade routes, diasporas, and encounters across the basin, the Biennale proposes the medium itself as a witness to centuries of exchange while highlighting its continued relevance within contemporary artistic discourse.
With its focus on dialogue across shores and generations, the 2nd Biennale of Contemporary Keramics positions Rhodes as a space where historical connections can be revisited and new conversations initiated, reaffirming the Mediterranean as a site of cultural vitality and ongoing transformation.
The Biennale remains on view until October 31, 2026.
