Officially declaring Cersaie 2007 open with the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Cersaie, the International exhibition of ceramic tiles recently held in Bologna, Italy, reports an increase in overall attendance during the five-day show. More than 92,000 visitors (up 1.1% from last year), and a higher number of foreign visitors (27,121; up 3.7%), increased exposure for the 1,078 exhibiting companies that traveled from 32 different countries

According to Cersaie organizers, the 25th annual exhibition’s various institutional conferences and seminars were also strongly attended, most notably for the standing-room only presentation delivered by Mario Botta on “Architecture and Memory,” which was introduced by Alfonso Panzani and moderated by Aldo Colonetti.

The 2008 Cersaie exhibition is set for Sept. 30 to Oct. 5. For more information, visitwww.cersaie.it.

Ceramic Tiles of Italy (in cooperation with Italian ceramic companies) launched a commemorative communication and image project entitled "Creativitiles" - an exhibition that combined industry and art by transforming famous images into ceramic tile installations. The 16 works of art recreated using Italian ceramic tiles include: "The Kiss" by Francesco Hayez; "Il Pergolato" by Silvestro Lega; "Portrait of Fritza Riedler" by Gustav Klimt; "Die Empfindung" by Ferdinand Hodler; "Venus of Urbino" (detail) by Titian; "Jeanne Hebuterne" by Amedeo Modigliani; "Fumee" by Georges Barbier; "Still life of a melon and a vase of flowers" by Pierre Auguste Renoir; "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt; "Soldier of the first division" by Kazimir Maleviã; and "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh.