Anka Ion
Winner Challenge 2021
I was born in Bucharest, Romania, since 2003 I am living in El Vendrell, Spain. My curiosities about art have been key in my self-taught training: painting, pottery, bookbinding, restoration and crafts.
In 2007, I started painting courses and I have explored various techniques, such as: drawing, pastel, acrylic and oil paints, watercolor and since 2014 I have begun to put into practice my knowledge of painting into ceramic. I have taken monographic courses in Apel·les Fenosa School of Art and in EADT Tarragona, School of Art.
The specialization courses, I have taken at the Ramon Fort Workshop (Wheel technique) and in 2017 I have taken a permanent course in ceramic and glass at the Massana School of Art in Barcelona. (Japanese techniques in porcelain and stoneware).
In 2019, I have taken a course of contemporary art in Museum of Art in Tarragona. My Project final was in ceramic, “Under the see…a new city”.
Since 2016 I am organizing pottery workshops for children, such as: “Tails from clay”, The Queen Bee, The Marathon - humanitarian Project at Penedes Crafts Fairs and I created and put in practice my own project “Form, Color and Texture” at the La Serra children school.
In 2018, I organized the “Lady Butterfly “exhibition – mini sculptures of butterflies in ceramic, at Albinyana Craft Fair, Tarragona.
During the week 6th -11th of April 2021 during the European Artistic Crafts Days, I have been participating in my social media with dynamics videos and photos regarding my work in ceramic.
During May, 15th and 16th 2021 I was involved at the sample of pottery online realized by #Holaceramica, Spain Association of Ceramic cities.
I also assisted at the International Congress in Barcelona 2019 and 2021, at Crafts webinars organized by Crafting Europe from Ireland and at Forum Magallanes-Elcano regarding crafts and pottery.
In June 2021 I was participating at the International Collective tile panel of Camellias, project organized by Teque Cultural Artistic Association in partnership with the Town Hall of Celerico de Basto, Portugal.
Ceramic national and international competitions:
17th of July 2021: Mention of honor for my work “Las Kokedamas” – ceramic competition N.A.C.E. Unique Piece Contest 2021, Navarrete City, La Rioja, Spain.
16th of July – 30th of August 2021: Collective Ceramic Exhibition at “Calado del Conde,” Room, N.A.C.E. 2021, Navarrete, La Rioja, Spain.
August 2021: Popularity Award Batra 2021 for my work “The return of the Nature into the cities”, at Biennale of International Ceramic Competition Batra 2021 Romanian, and collective international virtual ceramic exhibition.
August 2021: Selection of my work “The Column” at the Biennale of Plastic Art and Visual from Canyelles, Catalonian. Collective exhibition at Multicultural room, Canyelles.
October 2021: Selection of my work “Biodiversity Field” at 3rd International Virtual Ceramic Exhibition “Transformation” organized by Bon Art Project. Collective Virtual Exhibition at Artsteps App.
Statement
Biodiversity: pottery Project, a compromise with the nature!
BIO means life, o better said biological diversity. My favorite character is the Butterfly. People said that where there is a butterfly flying, there is a healthy and balanced life. Besides that, when I see a butterfly, it makes my day and I feel happy. The Butterfly is a small and fragile being, and it indicates us the state of the nature. In fact, the biodiversity is fundamental for the humans on earth, it is linked to the health and well-being of people. The conservation of biodiversity, the maintenance and restoration of damaged ecosystems are equally relevant to change, one of the main environmental challenges facing humanity.
In my work of ceramic about biodiversity is reflected the life of the butterfly, surrounded by healthy moss with a very intense green color and plants that show us the nature in all its splendor. In one of my pieces of ceramic I have shown the healthy part of ecosystem and its alteration, where there is no life and where the community cannot develop.
I have also tried to reproduce and imitated the moss by making Kokedamas, which literally translates is ‘moss balls. I have made three Kokedamas of various sizes. The technique use is the wheel throwing and then the decoration using a filter to make the moss.
**Kokedama is a Japanese artisanal technique for growing plants. It consists of a sphere composed of moss, “akadama” (a red -brown granular clay) and sand in which a plant grows. In order to make the kokedamas, I have used red ceramic paste of high temperature, granulated with chamotte that perfectly imitated the Japanese akadama.
I have created pieces of different shapes, circular cylinder with double wall made on the wheel throwing, S-shaped designed reflecting the biodiversity fields, trees of great heights from miniature plants to gigantic trees, the biodiversity is the incredible variety of all life on Earth and many other shapes that are forms of nature in which born the vegetation, the moss and the butterflies’ appearance, all this to create the biodiversity.
The human mission is to protect the biodiversity, that the life continues to flourish.
The materials used in my work are: high temperature white and red paste, porcelain, clays that reach a temperature between 1260º-1280º in the second firing, pigments and oxides, high temperature matt transparent glaze and the colored one prepared with transparent and red clay of low temperature.
I have turned my passion into my profession- Ikigai, the Japanese concept.
For a green and healthy Earth, taking care of the biodiversity, we will take care of our lives!
“More clay and less plastic”
