Benet Ferrer, master of conceptual ceramics, dies

Last October 6, Benet Ferrer, born in Sabadell on April 25, 1945, died at the age of 79. A restless artist, he transcended traditional craftsmanship and turned ceramics into a powerful tool of critical and conceptual expression. His clay works, which at first glance seemed simple functional objects, were transformed into profound reflections on the world around him, elevating the everyday object to an artistic proposal full of meaning and questioning.

From a very young age, Ferrer broke with conventional paths, leaving behind studies of mercantile expertise to immerse himself in the world of art. He trained at the Industrial School of Arts and Crafts in Sabadell and the Massana School in Barcelona, where he ended up working as a teacher. In this context, Ferrer joined the avant-garde movements that emerged in the sixties, seeking to dynamit the cultural landscape dominated by Francoism and opening new paths in contemporary art.

Throughout this decade, he was part of the Gallot Group, a collective dedicated to abstract and gestural art, together with other Sabadell artists such as Antoni Angle and Alfons Borrell. In collaboration with figures such as Francesc Bellmunt and Tomàs Pladevall, he participated in innovative projects such as musical Wednesdays on the radio and in the creation of experimental short films such as 'Lentiplastic cromocoli selecto serpentigraf', consolidating his image as a critical and provocative creator .

Ferrer, en una exposició a la sala Vinçon (1974)

In the field of ceramics, inspired by artists such as Picasso and the Mallorcan siurells, he began experimenting with clay, creating works that played with the distinction between the real and the apparent. His creations had a strong impact on the Catalan art scene and were exhibited in prestigious spaces such as the Sala Tres in Sabadell, the Vinçon in Barcelona and the Santa Mònica Art Center. He also participated in international exhibitions, such as the Cornerhouse in Manchester in 1994, consolidating his reputation within avant-garde artistic circles. A member of Collective "G", Ferrer contributed to redefining the language of the object in contemporary art, always with a critical and deep look at everyday life.

In his most recent stage, his work has been revisited in several exhibitions. Highlights 'Metaphysics of fragility' at the Vallpalou Foundation in 2021, where mud was presented as a metaphor for human fragility. He was also present at MACBA's Tous Collection and in his last exhibition 'An unexpected meeting', alongside Josep Madaula, at the Sabadell Academy of Fine Arts, the same place where he had started his artistic journey .

In addition to ceramics, Benet Ferrer cultivated painting and sculpture. His pictorial works, characterized by intense colors and geometric shapes, and his public sculptures, such as the 'Monument a Campoamor' in Passeig del Comerç and 'Barda' in Plaça de Josep Rossell in Sabadell, have become part of the urban landscape.

Ferrer's legacy is a legacy of reflection, provocation and deep artistic research that transformed ceramics into a conceptual language.

'Galleda vermell collage', 1976