A quarter century of bonsai art in Europe
Last February, the Limburghal in Genk was the setting for a special milestone in the European bonsai world: the 25th edition of The Trophy. This anniversary event, under the wings of the Belgium Bonsai Association Belgium, attracted bonsai enthusiasts from far and wide. Edwin Koppers and Manon Jamin describe the event
The Trophy was inaugurated on the Friday afternoon with a ceremony that did justice to the Japanese origins of the art of bonsai: taiko drums, koto music and the traditional breaking of a barrel of sake.
The anniversary event was distinguished by a special ceramics project. Five bonsai potters, including Claudia Wagner, Klika, Sabine Besnard, Roald Vlems and we two from Made Bonsai Pots, each produced 50 numbered anniversary pots. These 250 exclusive pieces found their way to exhibition participants, among others, as lasting memories.
At eight o’clock on Saturday, dozens of visitors were already waiting patiently in line in the rain. When the doors opened at nine o’clock, the hall flooded with eager bonsai enthusiasts, on the hunt for that one (pre)bonsai and other related products, offered by no fewer than 100 traders.
Exhibitions and demonstrations
The exhibition was of an exceptional standard. The international entries showed an impressive range of diversity and craftsmanship. Along the side wall there was a separate exhibition entirely dedicated to the Yose-Ue style, for which a special prize had been established. The collections of Alda Clijsters and Danny Use contributed to the artistic level of this edition.
Demonstrations were a central element of this show. Jelle Ferwerda did a great job hosting the impressive demos by Ryan Neil (US), Koji Hiramatsu (Japan) and Mauro Stemberger (Italy) who shared their expertise over two days in a packed theatre. There was a good interaction, led by Jelle, between Masters and audience. Many interesting discussions were held in response to the enthusiastic speaker, Ryan Neil.
In addition to bonsai, space was provided for related art forms. The presentations of international ceramists and suiseki added a valuable feature. The European Bonsai Potter Collective showed the wealth of contemporary bonsai ceramics.
The Saturday evening dinner, with award ceremony, again brought the community together. The first prize in the shohin category went to Bob van Ruitenbeek. Alejandro Izquierdo won the Kifu bonsai category with a juniper. Andres Alvarez Iglesias won the first prize for conifers with a Taxus baccata, Valentino Villecco won the category for deciduous trees with an Acer buergerianum.
Encounters and impressions
In 25 years, The Trophy has developed into a leading event in Europe. The solid organization has contributed to this.
The event also functions as a notable meeting place where knowledge is shared and the development of bonsai as an art form becomes visible.
We can look back on three intensive, but satisfying days. The Trophy remains an event that brings together and inspires the bonsai world. It was a privilege to be part of this anniversary celebration and we are already looking forward to the next edition of this special event, where we can look forward to bonsai Master Shinji Suzuki and his son Hiroaki from Japan who’ll be present as demonstrators.
Special pot project
Five potters from neighboring countries, each of whom had crafted fifty hand-made pots to order, were invited on to the stage to present their work: Klika-Kuratkova Czech Republic, Made Bonsai Pots, the Netherlands, Sabine Besnard from France, Claudi-Schalen from Germany, and Roald Vlems, Studio Tebineri, Belgium. These pots were given to each exhibitor of bonsai, suiseki, or pots. A valuable memento of their participation in the 25th Trophy. The many volunteers and everyone who made an event like The Trophy possible were thanked most sincerely for all their support and cooperation.
The Trophy Awards
Best deciduous - Acer buergerianum: Valentino Villecco
Best composition (FBBC Certificate) - Pseudocydonia: Lydie Carpentier
Best conifer - Taxus baccata: Andres Alvarez
Conifer nomination, UBE Award - Taxus baccata: Riccardo Vinciguerra
Kifu winner - Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa': Alejandro Izquierdo
Winner rock planting - Juniperus chinensis 'itoigawa': Alexandre Escudero
Shohin winner - Bob Van Ruitenbeek
Best tree of BAB (Bonsai Association Belgium) Ginkgo biloba: Chris Pieterse
A flashback
The Trophy grew from a tiny seedling to a massive tree
The Trophy started as a relatively small event. It all began in 1999, when the Bonsai Association Belgium was founded. A year later, together with Marc Noelanders, the first Noelanders Trophy was held in ‘Muse’ Cultural centre in Heusden Zolder. Only a limited space was rented, but soon it grew into a show featuring bonsai of international stature and many bonsai artists who would love to perform their demonstration at this event. So, more space could be rented and demos were carried out in the theatre hall.
That venue became too small to host the show, so a new venue was found on an old mining site of Heusden-Zolder. There it expanded further. During that time, it had already become one of Europe’s major shows. Later in 2015 it went even bigger, a large expo centre that includes a big theatre for the demos, large hall for the bonsai show and even more spacious halls for the expanded bonsai trade fair. Nor must we forget the development of quality bonsai at the expo. It really has become Europe’s Kokufu-Ten.
