The 9th edition of Matres—the International Festival of Women’s Ceramics—returns from August 25 to 30 in Cava, Vietri, Naples, Pontecagnano, and Serre. It is an exchange between art, clay, and cultures, in which ceramic art becomes a universal dialogue, connection, and catalyst for change.

The 2026 theme focuses on CIBUM, not only as a basic need, but as a cultural phenomenon capable of building community, preserving memory, and looking toward the future.

Ceramics have always been associated with food as sustenance: trays, plates, and containers shaped from clay tell stories of dining tables, communities, and life.

«If clothes make the man, dishes make the food,» says Kitaoji Rosanjin, a Japanese artist, emphasizing that the parts are to be viewed as a single whole rather than as separate pieces, and that form becomes substance. Ceramics originated with humankind—as biblical texts tell us and archaeological findings attest—and have always been linked to the ritual of eating, which is not merely a physical act but goes beyond it.

Our ancestors sought not only to satisfy their need for food, but also to create containers such as bowls and plates, pitchers, and glasses. The container itself enhances the dish and becomes a means of communication. The union of food and ceramics has a history stretching back millennia, illustrating how ceramics shape a culture and create a multisensory dining experience. It combines the visual experience with those of taste and touch to bring out the very best in food.

Through CIBUM – Nourishing Art, Nourishing the Earth, the Matres Festival encouraged artists, designers, ceramicists, scholars, and the public to reflect on the value of nourishment as an act of care for people, the earth, and relationships.

Matres is an international community that promotes women’s talent—and more—by celebrating creativity, diversity, and intercultural dialogue through contemporary ceramics. Matres is not just a festival, but a collective experience and a dialogue among different cultures—a space where ceramics tell the story of the world and art builds relationships, nourishing the earth and the future.

Upcoming events:

– International exhibitions and solo exhibitions by female artists

– CIBUM Exhibition and Competition – Terre Commensali: The Forms of Nourishment

– Matres Award Designer Exhibition and Competition – Nurturing Form

– Artè Exhibition – The Forms of Tea (Tea Ware) in Dialogue with the Museum’s Collections

– Solo Exhibitions – «CIBUM – Personal Visions»

– Tea ceremony hosted by international artists

– Talk: Ceramics, Food, and Sustainability

– Guided tours of museums, local areas, and historic pottery workshops

– Workshops, Training, and Participatory Art – Matres Creates

– Presentation of the international collaborative project MENSAE TERRAE

– Visits to the Sele River Nature Reserve and the Royal Palace of Persano

– Final workshops and completion of the firing process for the Festival’s works

– International Women Artists’ Dinner – A convivial dinner featuring unique dishes created by the artists

– Doves of Peace – Nourishing the Earth, Sharing the Future

– Shared preparations

– A symbolic exchange of Matres Bags among the participants and of ceramic plates

Gabriella Taddeo

MATRES DIRECTOR – EARTH – WORLDS – VISIONS