Ateliê Tauá Cerâmica Cris Rocha
THE ARTIST
AND HER PASSIONS
Cris Rocha embarked on her journey into the world of ceramics as a student under Heloisa Alvim, studying in her studio from 1977 to 1979. She then continued her education with Eva Ilg for two more years and Elvira Schuartz from Espaço Zero in São Paulo. Her training also included guidance from prominent figures such as Afrânio Montemurro and Cecília Akemi from Studio Terra Fogo. She studied under Shoko Suzuki for manual turning and Kenjiro Ikoma for slab work and tabletop turning.
In 2001, Cris Rocha represented Brazil at the IWCAT - The International Workshop of Ceramic Art of Tokoname in Japan. It was during this event that she fell in love with wood firing techniques, particularly anagama and ash glaze.
Upon returning to Brazil, she built her own anagama in the city of Artur Nogueira - SP. The kiln was inaugurated with an international workshop led by ceramist Peter Callas, attended by around 70 Brazilian ceramists from various states. The anagama successfully completed 14 firings, contributing to numerous undergraduate and master's theses at the State University of Campinas - UNICAMP.
In 2002, she returned to Japan to participate in an international exhibition at the Kioegama Gallery, where she had the opportunity to immerse herself in Japanese tradition. That same year, she received the Acrilex Award during the Craft Brazil - Japan Ceramic Art Show. Cris expanded her international reach by exhibiting her works in Greece in 2013, conducting workshops in Athens and Corfu. In 2014, she was invited as a representative artist of Brazil to Hagen - Germany.
Between 2015 and 2016, Cris undertook a project to rescue the works of renowned Japanese ceramist Akiko Fujita, with whom she had studied during her training. This effort led to various outcomes, including an exhibition at the SESC Campinas Gardens alongside other ceramists, as well as collaborative works reconstructing the artist's trajectory. Some of these pieces are now housed at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Campinas – MAC, Visual Arts Museum – MAV, and the Sculpture Gardens of UNICAMP.
In 2019, she represented Brazil at the 8th China Changchun International Ceramic Art Invitational Exhibition, where she also received an honorable mention in the 1st Lianhuashan Cup Ceramic Art Contest.
In 2020, she was selected for the Latin American Ceramists Encounter Cachalqui in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Pisac - Peru. The following year, in 2021, she won the Museum Cup contest in the utility category, promoted by the Coffee Museum in Santos - SP.
In 2022, she showcased her pieces at the 5th International Contemporary Art Biennial of Argentina, held in Buenos Aires, as well as at the Ceramic Universe event held at the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo, where she won third place.
In 2024, she placed third at the 3rd Brazilian Ceramists Salon.
Cris has organized workshops with renowned national and international figures such as Peter Callas, Kenjiro Ikoma, Rikio Hakudo Hashimoto, Lila Vasquez, and Arlen Hansen from the USA. She also volunteered for three years with CCBRAS - Brazilian Contemporary Ceramics.
She is a member of the Collective Ceramic Group - participating in exhibitions, workshops, and demonstrations - and the "Sou Cerâmica" Group - organizing events with various ceramists from São Paulo.