Within a context like Dubai, a city that has established itself as an international crossroads for commerce, innovation, and design, the central concept of the installation conceived by Iris Ceramica Group is the metaphorical transformation of ceramics. This is viewed as an alchemical process that highlights its intrinsic value. Iris Ceramica Group promotes ceramics as a noble and versatile material, combining aesthetics and functionality—a concept it terms “beautility”. The philosophy “Reengineering ceramics for the Better” guides the Group’s technological innovation, redefining the perception of ceramics and elevating its prestige, equating it to gold for its preciousness and transformative potential.
The Dubai installation evolves from the Cersaie event, enriching the narrative around ceramics with a more immersive experience. It also serves as a preview for the Group’s new showroom, scheduled to open in February 2026.
The event takes place in a pop-up space within the future ICG Gallery, located in the Dubai Design District (Building 6, First Floor), and will be open to visitors throughout Design Week. This gallery marks Iris Ceramica Group’s first presence in the United Arab Emirates, a strategic market for the Group and for disseminating a new interpretation of ceramics. At the heart of the experience is a “magic room” that hosts the immersive journey of alchemical transformation, structured in three phases. The first phase, called Breaking, sees the ceramic material decompose and change form, challenging common perceptions. This is followed by the Glowing phase, a moment of purification that elevates the understanding of the material, moving away from traditional concepts. Finally, the Revealing phase leads to an awareness of the transformation process, offering a new perspective on ceramics.
The experience is supported by digital videomorphing created by visual artist Lorenza Liguori, who interpreted the three stages of the journey starting from a single ceramic surface. The videos depict the metamorphosis of textures with imagery that blends nature, art, dreams, and unexpected perspective plays. Reflective surfaces amplify the immersion, altering the space and offering new viewpoints on reality.
At the end of the immersive journey, visitors enter the ICG Gallery, set up in a temporary pop-up configuration that anticipates the definitive concept of the showroom, with its full opening planned for 2026. The Dubai gallery joins the global network of ICG Galleries in cities such as Milan, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, and New York, consolidating the Group’s presence in strategic design markets. This initiative aims to present ceramics not merely as a material, but as an element capable of complex storytelling and a sensory experience, elevating its perception through innovation and design.
