As Beernem residents we do not always realize it, but the ceramics studio Perignem ('through the fire') has been putting our municipality of Beernem on the map since its founding in 1948, far beyond our provincial and even national borders. And it still does!
The Perignem studio was founded by ceramic artists Rogier and Laurent Vandeweghe. Many years ago, Laurent also opened the studio to all kinds of artists, who were given the freedom to do their thing in ceramics. In the early days, artists such as Octave Landuyt, Marcel Catry and Yves Rhayé were featured. The Perignem ceramics studio was the basis of modern Flemish ceramics that flourished in the 1950s and 1960s.
The company remained active until the beginning of this century. After a short break, the studio was restarted by Laurent's daughter, ceramic artist Elisabeth (~Liesbeth) Vandeweghe.
The workshops and kilns were renovated in 2013. One room now serves as a studio, another part was converted into an exhibition space, not only focused on ceramics but on all artistic expressions.
In this way, Perignem wants to be a 'space for creation', in the broadest sense of the word.
And Perignem succeeds!
Various exhibitions, including works by foreign artists, have been on display since then. Thanks to Perignem, Beernem is increasingly becoming a household name in the broad art and culture world.