Bricks, one of the earliest materials associated with both housing and the body, are the subject and object of this publication. However, the book also explores the role of Jacques Kaufmann in the world of international contemporary ceramics and his impact in architectural ceramics since he first became interested in the field several years ago.

In terms of human agency, bricks are the basic unit through which the artist introduces his designs in the landscape. Kaufmann uses this simple, yet tough, material to build up an imaginative world that is not linked solely to the bricks as such, but also to the symbolic charge they possess (the concept of transparency, physical and metaphorical walls, and their associated imaginative world).

This book is intended to accompany the Jacques Kaufmann exhibition that will be held at the Ariana Museum (Geneva), an event that will extend outside the museum. Indeed, an important part of the exhibition will be installed in the park: one of the walls “will enter” the museum and invite the visitor down to the basement display area.

A total of ten works will be exhibited and Kaufmann himself presents each in the book. The introduction is edited by Anne-Claire Schumacher, who discusses Kaufmann’s development and his place in the history of ceramic art and in contemporary art as a whole. This is followed by a contribution by Luca Pattaroni, who views the topic from a socio-political perspective. The five main works set in the park of the Ariana Museum and the continuation into the museum’s basement are described and commented by the artist.