Did you start working with ceramics or glass?

Living in Venice, in Murano, glass is considered the material par excellence, but it is not mine. I prefer ceramics. Both materials have the charm of alchemical transformation, they change with heat: in both glass and ceramics, the color can change a lot depending on the temperature or the type of firing, and it is only the heat that fixes them in the shape.

In the end, it’s all about chemistry. Like in the kitchen.

Yes, as in confectionery, materials need precision. But with the harvested soil, it is not known exactly what its composition is. At what temperature will it melt? How will he react? What color will it produce? I like to experiment. I really like to combine several clays and create different colors, on ceramics, thanks to the diversity of its compositions. I don’t use nail polishes. I like the idea that ceramics, as a material, are not painted. I want to enhance it in its layers, in its peculiar characteristics. Applying a decoration is like a covering, almost as if to camouflage its materiality: I love to enhance beauty as it is with its imperfections. No make-up.  I also like the idea of mixing different materials in a melange where each material has its own dignity and value.

What is the concept, artistic, or philosophical, to which you are most attached?

The concept of GENIUS LOCI: every place has its own language, its own soul, its own time. I like to get to know a place not only to be inspired but also to better communicate with it, in a sort of metalanguage, the container and the content. 

What is the result you want to achieve with your ceramics?

I like ceramics with a raw, almost unprocessed look. For example, I have developed some ceramics with a soil that degrades over time, to give the idea of the passage of time and the material that ages, transforms and acquires “the patina of time”. 

In general, to create works that are linked to broader themes of reflection. I do the same when I need to create for displays, concepts, stores, or table settings. It’s essential for me to have a story: it helps me to make choices, a sort of guideline, to discard materials, select colors and so on. I like the idea of being able to apply this philosophy to both art and design. For an exhibition on the theme of water resources protection during the Fuori Salone I was inspired by a tour in Madagascar with a biologist: I had discovered that in a region in the south-east of Madagascar several villages depend entirely on baobabs. It rains only a few times a year, and in order to be able to live in this hostile environment, the population uses the water that collects in the trunks, fresh and clean. Each family is responsible and looks after their own tree. 

During this trip I had collected some soil and made vases that symbolize baobabs, nature’s water reservoirs, to raise awareness on this issue. 

Very beautiful. As an artist, therefore, you research nature and the earth as a visceral concept. 

The earth is an ancestral element, a symbol in different traditions, mythologies and religions. However, the Earth is also connected to sensation, perception, corporeality: it symbolizes the primordial matter that welcomes life and nourishes it, it symbolizes protection. 

The earth teaches us a lot, and what you learn by working with ceramics is the concept of time. A lot of thought goes into its value. If you want to get a result you have to know how to wait, everything has its time.

Tell us about any ongoing or completed projects that have particularly excited you.

Among the new projects there is certainly the collaboration with Diletta Tonatto Profumi. She and I have the same vision, she does with her sense of smell what I try to do with her touch. We speak the same language and go back to basics. In addition, I am working on creating jewelry and furniture.

Among the funniest past projects I can mention the table settings, some even made for The Meraviglia. I made ceramic supports inspired by other Japanese techniques, Ikebana and KUKIDO, using spontaneous, imperfect flowers to enhance the whole flower, including the stem. 

Basically, I created balanced compositions without a vase, just resting on plates of water and held together by my little ceramic circle. Mixing materials, plants and vegetables. A bit of a symbol of my way of designing: going back to the essentials and looking for a balance.

Last ritual question: what is the Wonder for you? 

Good question, for me wonder is what arouses an emotion in you. It’s supposed to be normal, it’s everywhere. But the reality is that wonder is in the eye of the beholder. It’s an attitude. For example, when I wake up and see the sun kissing everything, I get up and go make coffee. That brings me joy.