About CeramikFest
Discover our mission and passion for ceramic art
Our Story
It all began in late 2024, when Halina, Basia, Magda, and Hernan started developing the idea of CeramikFest. Confronted with the decline of Wałbrzych’s once-vibrant porcelain factories and the absence of a dedicated ceramics event in a region that had once thrived and led the world in ceramic production, we felt compelled to create a festival that truly reflected the value of ceramics as an art form and honoured the artists behind each piece. The desire to capture the soul of this craft, combined with grief over the decline and closure of Polish porcelain factories, transformed the idea into reality. It was time to breathe life into Poland’s ceramics community, reclaim its roots, and give it the attention it deserves.
Despite the enormity of the project, four ceramics enthusiasts from Lower Silesia brought the first edition of CeramikFest to life in 2025 at the picturesque Sarny Castle in Ścinawka Górna. The event was a resounding success, exceeding all expectations and proving that ceramics could once again take centre stage in Poland’s cultural landscape.
Building on the success of CeramikFest 2025, the foundation continues its work today driven by a mission that remains timeless: to celebrate ceramics as a vital art form and to support the artists who shape its future.
Our Values
Tradition
We honor the heritage of Polish ceramists and pass it on to future generations
Creativity
We support innovative approaches and experimentation in ceramic art
Community
We build a community of artists, enthusiasts, and ceramic lovers
Education
We share knowledge through workshops, lectures, and practical experiences
FOUNDATION TEAM
Halina Dubielecka
I am an organizer of various cultural initiatives and a graduate of architecture from Wrocław University of Technology. For twenty years, I have been professionally involved in organizing events and creating thematic exhibitions. Fifteen years ago, I exchanged my hometown of Wrocław for a tiny village in the Sudetes foothills, where my husband and I run an agritourism business, a workshop venue, and the Lavender Alternative Foundation, which operates in the areas of culture and improving women's well-being.
Privately, I am a lover of lavender, peace, and animals.
Basia Trzybulska
I am a ceramic artist. In 1995, I graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, Faculty of Ceramics and Glass. I studied in the studio of Professor Krystyna Cybińska. For over twenty years, I have been running my own studio, where I create unique ceramic works – vessel forms, sculptural pieces, and painting on ceramic plates. I mainly work with slips, using the sgraffito technique, in a characteristic narrow color palette ranging from cobalts to blacks and grays. My exhibitions often draw from literature and poetry, and I also transfer the collage technique to ceramics. Porcelain is a purely abstract material for me, which, due to its lightness and purity, is ideal for large-format installations. I also work with alternative firings, which give the works special beauty through their raw texture.
My works are in private collections in Poland and Europe, as well as in the Museum in Wałbrzych, Siklos Hungary, CEBIKO Korea, and the Center of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko. I am a bronze medal winner at the International Ceramics Biennale CEBIKO, Korea. I have participated in many group exhibitions (Germany, France, Netherlands, Poland) and have had many solo exhibitions (Warsaw, Łódź, Wrocław, Kraków, Gdańsk). I have participated in ceramic plein-airs – Porcelain Otherwise Wałbrzych, Siklos Hungary, Lab Oro Center of Polish Sculpture Orońsko.
Magdalena Pełka – De Armas
I see myself as someone fortunate to explore and connect two creative worlds: landscape architecture and ceramics. In 2020, I founded The Planting Studio, where I focused on creating landscape and architectural visualizations. It's work that constantly inspires me and presents new challenges, and I approach it with passion and commitment.
Returning to Poland was a pivotal moment in my creative journey. I discovered ceramics – a medium that allowed me to express myself directly and tangibly, offering the opportunity to work with organic forms and textures inspired by nature. This discovery led me to establish Studio De Armas in 2024, where I experiment and learn daily, transforming clay into art.
Combining both fields gives me great satisfaction, and creating visual stories, whether in digital landscapes or ceramics, brings me joy. I focus on exploring how nature, form, and function can meet in meaningful ways – always striving to grow and improve in both practices.
Beyond the studio, I cherish the simple yet beautiful moments life offers. I love dogs with playful smiles and cats with mysterious, penetrating eyes. I find solace in birdsong at dawn, the gentle rustle of leaves, and earthy tones and textures that remind me of tangled roots and the beauty of light dancing on freshly fired ceramics. These quiet details constantly inspire me.
Magda Ridel
I have many years of experience in the events and PR industry. I ran my own company, delivering projects for brands and institutions, which today translates into effective relationship-building and tailored sponsorship offers.
As part of my collaboration with the CeramikFest Foundation, I focus on developing business partnerships and media cooperation.
I specialize in connecting the worlds of business and culture, creating collaborations that are authentic, visible, and valuable for both sides. I make sure CeramikFest partners are genuinely present in our projects and have space for meaningful engagement with audiences.
On a daily basis, I also run my own ceramics studio in Wrocław, which helps me deeply understand the creative community I work with.
Privately, I am passionate about yoga, Ayurveda, and travel to India. I value balance, mindfulness, and good energy, which I naturally bring into my work as well.
Anka Berestecka
I graduated in dramaturgy from the Jagiellonian University and from the Polish School of Reportage in Warsaw. I coordinated and supported communication for projects at the Małopolska Institute of Culture, the Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, the Art Gallery in Legnica, and the Granica Group. My texts have been published in Przekrój, Tygodnik Powszechny, Wysokie Obcasy, Autoportret, Didaskalia, Onet.pl, and the quarterly Szkło i Ceramika. I am the co-author of a publication on young Polish theatre after 1997. I have twice been a resident of the Westfjords Residency in Iceland (literary residencies).
I also work with porcelain, using it to record traces of microhistories and memories. In my editorial work, I focus on collecting stories—often private ones—and I am interested in social archiving. I have conducted interviews with translators of Polish literature, with an artist and participant of the Porcelana Inaczej open-air workshops, as well as with Stanisław Możdżeń, a designer of forms at the now-closed Porcelana Krzysztof factory.
Hernan De Armas Texier
I am Venezuelan, and in 2004 I emigrated to London carrying with me the most essential aspects of my Latin identity. During the 16 years I lived in England, I discovered how those values evolved while engaging in dialogue with multiple cultures that, at least on paper, seemed completely different from my own. From that multicultural coexistence emerged a fusion that broadened my perspective, teaching me new ways of understanding others and the world around us.
I studied Computer Science at the University of Greenwich, convinced that technology can be a bridge between people. Over time, life led me to a new chapter: since 2021 I have called Poland my home. Here I continue to build my identity, now from the convergence of three worlds that nourish and complement me: the Venezuelan that shaped me, the English that structured me, and the Polish that inspires me every day.
Today I develop the digital presence of the CeramikFest Foundation, a space where art, community, and creativity intertwine. Outside of work, I enjoy both the tranquility of nature and the dynamism of the city, as well as a good exchange of ideas that allows me to keep learning from those who are different from me. After all, I believe that openness is what brought me here.
Contact Information
Foundation Data
Name: CeramikFest
KRS: 0001162288
REGON: 541208612
NIP: 8822150712
Phone
Halina: +48 795 535 555
Magda: +48 734 495 165
Hernan: +48 501 234 567
Address
CeramikFest
Lipowa 5/1
58-230 Niemcza
Poland