MgA. Mátyás Zagiba
(2001, Jovice, Slovakia)
Mátyás Zagiba is a ceramic artist and designer focused on functional work and material research. He studied at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest and subsequently in the Ceramics and Porcelain Studio at UMPRUM in Prague. In 2022, he completed an internship at the Royal Danish Academy. His research focuses on the relationship between materials and culture in the context of ceramic practice.
Territorial identity in contemporary ceramics
The work examines the impact of the presence of mineral resources and the related industry on the development of the territorial identity of cities and regions, as well as their role in defining the cultural aspects of a region. It draws on contemporary material theories that understand local materials as active agents in shaping culture.
The project focuses on areas whose historical development has been influenced by intensive extraction and processing of raw materials. It reflects on the relationships between materials, industry, and their impact on local communities, particularly in the development of tangible culture.
Part of the work is dedicated to material research exploring alternative ways of using materials in the context of contemporary design, with a particular focus on ceramics. The author transforms material traces of the landscape into objects that construct new cultural layers of place. The project thus investigates possibilities for reinterpreting the remnants of local industry, material culture, and craft within contemporary design, while expanding the aesthetic and technological potential of local materials.
