A new contemporary art gallery at the MIC Faenza

Are you interested in discovering where to see contemporary art in Italy and finding out the latest news from the world of museums?

If so, I’ll take you to Faenza, a city famous for its ceramics and a unique museum: the MIC, or International Museum of Ceramics. Starting in June, this historic museum is expanding its view of the present and officially opening a new room dedicated to the 21st century. A permanent area entirely designed for contemporary art, it houses works by international artists and showcases the latest research in the field of ceramics.

MIC Faenza sala XXI secolo

This new exhibition is a fundamental step towards understanding how artistic ceramics is not only a tradition, but also a contemporary language, alive and capable of recounting our times. If you are passionate about art and culture, you cannot miss this new addition. A place where the past meets the future of art.

A new permanent space for contemporary art at the MIC Faenza

From 20 June 2025, the MIC Faenza will inaugurate a permanent room entirely dedicated to the 21st century, located in the spaces that once housed the historic European Ceramics Room.

The aim is clear: to promote contemporary art, giving space to the most significant voices on the current art scene, with a particular focus on ceramics as a means of expression.

The exhibition includes works by artists who have won awards since the 58th edition of the Faenza Prize and winners of the PAC – Piano per l’Arte Contemporanea (Contemporary Art Plan) promoted by the Ministry of Culture. The whole creates a visual narrative that brings together different poetics, different generations and a variety of approaches to ceramics.

The artists on display at the MIC: visions, materials and experimentation

Among the artists on display are names that have interpreted ceramics in profoundly original ways: from Nero to Wei Bao, from Yves Malfiet to Sissi, from Salvatore Arancio to Paivi Rintaniemi, not to mention Bertozzi&Casoni andKathy Ruttemberg. Each of them approaches ceramics with a unique perspective, ranging from painting to sculpture, from hyperrealism to plastic experimentation.

The result is a fascinating journey that invites visitors to reflect on how contemporary art can convey the anxieties, visions and transformations of today’s society. A real experience for those looking for a museum that surprises and makes you think.

The MIC Faenza and its increasingly contemporary outlook

As explained by Claudia Casali, director of the museum, the MIC is an institution that never stops renewing itself.The Faenza Prize, the world’s longest-running international biennial exhibition of ceramic art, is a privileged observatory for identifying contemporary trends. The museum has embarked on a major project to refurbish the rooms dedicated to the 20th and 21st centuries, including initiatives such as “Pillole contemporanee” (Contemporary Pills) and a revamped section dedicated to Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

All this is part of a process that also aims to showcase what normally remains hidden in the museum’s storerooms, bringing to light works of great historical and artistic value. To find out more about the MIC and its extraordinary heritage, read my article on the history and collection of the MIC Faenza.

MIC Faenza sala XXI secolo

An exhibition designed for the future

The new room has been curated by the director herself, Claudia Casali, with an exhibition design by Oscar Dominguez. The project was made possible thanks to the contribution of La BCC Ravennate, Forlivese, Imolese, demonstrating the importance of collaboration between cultural institutions and local organisations.

This space is not just an exhibition: it is a strong signal that contemporary art in Italy needs places where it can express itself freely, even through traditional materials such as ceramics. Are you ready to discover a museum that looks to the future without forgetting its roots?

If you would like to learn more about designer ceramics, I also recommend reading the article on Gio Ponti’s ceramics, which revolutionised the production and art of ceramics, as well as the article on Galileo Chini’s ceramics between Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

The MIC Faenza awaits you with 21st-century ceramics that will surprise you.