BASEL.- For his second participation in Design Miami/Basel, scheduled to run from June 8 to 13, 2009, Brussels gallery owner Pierre-Marie Giraud will present some sixty original contemporary ceramic pieces that study the relationship between contemporary ceramics and sculpture.

“The collector’s eye has diversified; a taste for mixture has returned. So let’s use it to put our prejudices aside and open up to the world!” Such are the words of Pierre-Marie Giraud who, for his participation in Design Miami/Basel, will be placing works by Picasso opposite unique pieces by Japanese artists, among them Akiyama Yo and Kimura Yoshiro.

Less earthbound than his contemporary, Kimura Yoshiro (born in 1947) dreamed of becoming a Zen monk. He ultimately became one of the most remarkable Japanese ceramicists. Enamored with the blue of the Aegean sea , he interprets its hypnotic intensity through smooth ceramics with curvy, aerial shapes. His works, both soothing and spiritual, form a kind of hyphen between water and air. His pieces, some of which are in the Tokyo National Museum catalog, achieved marked success at New York exhibits and in the Brussels-based gallery of Pierre-Marie Giraud, who will be showcasing his work until June 13, 2009.

In a sublime mirror trick, the works of these Japanese artists will converse with a series of ceramics by Picasso, never before shown in a gallery, echoing those exhibited in the museums of Malaga , Spain , and at the Metropolitan Museum in New York . Numerous are the contemporary ceramicists who follow the great Spanish master’s extravagance and are now designing ceramics outside the customary norm. And so it is for Kristin McKirdy (born in Canada in 1958), whose works illustrate the sculptural dimension of ceramics.

Indeed, the work of Kristin McKirdy is characterized by its powerful volumes, pure lines, and elegant shapes modernized by an interplay of contrasting colors and materials. In her fingers, a vase becomes a sculpture in which the rough, earth-colored exterior serves as a shell to the white enameled part, which symbolizes the interiority of her work. From which emanates a disconcerting yet appealing aura. “Nothing is exactly as it should be. Pods or capsules are over-sized, shells morph into bulging breasts, and acorns are transformed into horns of plenty. The first impression is as deceptive as its appearance. From close up the object appears simple, and when you distance yourself, you perceive something else, your spirit starts to wander,” comments art critic Elisabeth Védrenne.

For his participation in Design Miami/Basel, Pierre-Marie Giraud will also be presenting unique pieces by Martine Bedin, Mattia Bonetti, Rose Cabat, Fukumoto Fuku, Jean Girel, Valérie Hermans, Hyeyong Kim, Louiselio, Tony Marsh, Massimo Micheluzzi, Ron Nagle, Barbara Nannin, Mishima Ritsue, Kimura Yoshiro, Kaneshige Yuho, and Miyashita Zenji.