BIENNALE | WHERE THE DAY STARTS, BIENNALE CONTEMPORARY KERAMICS, Rhodes

Four works by Elif Uras are on view  at the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes as part of the Biennale Contemporary Keramics, curated by Anissa Touati, Stamatia Dimitrakopoulos, and Loukia Thomopoulou.

 

Elif Uras’s ceramic works commissioned for the biennale formally trace the history of ceramics in this geography from the Neolithic period to the Islamic era. They include four vessels that allude to architecture and the female body. The symbolic and narrative imagery on the surfaces of these works draws inspiration from the Byzantine and Ottoman histories of the island. 

 

The works also seek to highlight the cultural significance of ICARO (Industria Ceramiche Artistiche Rodio Orientali), the ceramic factory established in 1930 during the Italian occupation of Rhodes. The mission of this factory was to make copies of Iznik ceramics from the sixteenth century, mostly featuring organic floral and animal motifs.

 

Prior to the discovery of kilns in Iznik in the mid-20th century, some Western art historians mistakenly attributed certain Iznik works found in a Rhodes collection as "Rhodian Pottery.” This misattribution led to the assimilation of Iznik-style imagery—including floral forms and arabesque lines—into the Rhodian visual vernacular. Many of the artisans at ICARO were young women, and Uras's works for the exhibition pay homage to their labor and this fascinating connection between Iznik and Rhodes.

June 15, 2026