A new exciting curated temporary exhibition will be launched soon in 2021 in the UP Museum’s World of Ceramics Gallery in the Old Arts Building. The UP Museums, in partnership with Ceramics Southern Africa and the City of Tshwane’s Pretoria Art Museum, have signed a six-year loan agreement to bring the iconic Corobrik Collection, a South African contemporary ceramic collection, from storage onto public display. These signature art ceramics will compliment the already expansive ceramic collections curated by the University of Pretoria Museums, who have an entrenched tradition of cultural, archaeological and art ceramic collections. We are very pleased to showcase a vast contemporary ceramic art collection comprising over 150 items.

Both Corobrik and Ceramics Southern Africa play a critical social role in promoting the African tradition of ceramic making. The University of Pretoria has also partnered with Ceramics SA over past decades, hosting several provincial exhibitions. According to John Shirley, the National Chairman of Ceramics Southern Africa,“the move to the University would ensure that the collection be shown for a full year, as unfortunately the full collection is seldom seen. Since the Corobrik Collection is a major ceramic collection it deserves to be seen and this move and subsequent showing at the University of Pretoria would truly give this collection the attention it deserves.”

The new exhibition will explore how South African ceramic art is pushing the boundaries as a medium, but more importantly the social meaning and social commentary intended by the ceramicists. Ceramics are not necessarily functional, but rather well-designed, three dimensional art forms and therefore have the ability to stir discussion and debate around ceramic art and its role in society. In the upcoming exhibition of the Corobrik ceramics collection, the tactility, beauty and subjectivity of these works are explored. Greater emphasis is placed on the ceramicist, as the social artist and their contribution to South African ceramic art.