Are there not enough vases in the world? Why produce more? What is it about this volumetric shell that has kept its relevance thousands of years? Why do so many makers continue to produce more and more vases as part of a human cultural chain spanning over 20,000 years? Despite all the technological developments and changes in daily life, vases are still here, accompanying humankind as part of its cultural DNA. Vases carry the transformations of time, contain ideas, and change form— and perhaps their power comes from the fusion of the utilitarian object (the vessel), the cultural and historical medium, and the conceptual space.
Irit Abba is one of the leading and most influential potters and artists in the field of contemporary ceramics in Israel. Abba has been creating porcelain vessels on the wheel for several decades. For her, “the vessel is a starting point, a playground where structure, material, and spirit meet.” In Irit Abba’s works, there is no distinction or tension between use or function and spirit or artistic expression. Function, spirit, and artistic expression are one and the same.
The objects in the exhibition embody Abba’s unique language of intuitive freedom, creating groups of vases that conduct an internal dialogue, with stunning beauty where simplicity and complexity intertwine. Abba creates most of her objects from porcelain and stoneware, either bare or covered in glaze. The qualities of the porcelain are expressed in thinness and translucency that stretch the very boundaries of the material’s capabilities.
The objects presented in the exhibition examine the ontological status of the vase and its place in the world: structurally, the classic vase has an almost fixed anatomy, often borrowed from descriptions of the human body: a base (foot), belly (storage volume), shoulders, neck, and lip (the top opening). The design decisions involved in its creation are ergonomic and technical: the weight of the base (so it does not tip over), the diameter of the neck (to hold flower stems), and the material’s resistance to liquids. Throughout history, ceramic and porcelain vases were used simultaneously for storage and as a three-dimensional canvas for cultural expression. [In ancient Greece, vases/vessels bore paintings documenting mythology, politics, and daily life. In the Far East, Chinese porcelain vases represented the pinnacle of material technology, symbolizing social status, wealth, and aesthetic refinement].
What is the status of the vase today? There is no simple answer to this question. The works presented in the exhibition Vase. are the result of continuous creation spanning many years, combined with intuitive action and exploration of form, material, and color. Irit Abba’s works are almost always abstract (except for her collaborations with artist Asaf Ben Zvi), as in this exhibition, the quality of the pieces is characterized by a precise virtuosity. Within them lies a constant tension between the tradition of pottery and fascinating experimental sculpture. The vases in this exhibition illustrate a further stage in Irit Abba’s oeuvre—maturity with a powerful presence.
Irit Abba (b. 1953) is a leading artist who lives and works in Jerusalem. Her works have been showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Israel and abroad. Abba is the recipient of the 2009 Andy Prize, as well as the Design Prize from the Culture Administration of the Ministry of Science, Culture, and Sport. Irit Abba served as a senior lecturer in the Department of Ceramic and Glass Design at Bezalel for approximately four decades.
Curator: Shlomit Bauman
Opening: Thursday, 18.6.2026, 11:00
Gallery talk: Friday, 24.7.2026, 11:30
Closing: Saturday, 1.8.2026, 14:00
