Annalia Amedeo

Ceramicist

©Annalia Amedeo

From archetypes to metamorphosis

Annalia is an artist, a designer and a chemist
Her works are meditations on eternity and decay
She fell in love with ceramics when she was a child

After a long experience as an archaeological ceramics restorer in Naples (where she was born), Florence and Rome, Annalia Amedeo decided to follow an old artistic calling, studying pottery, porcelain and enamels at an Arts and Crafts school, to become a sculptor and a designer. Her vision merges classical studies and curiosity for nature, the silent stillness of ancient statues and the transmutations of living creatures, in a dialogue between archetypes and organic shapes, eternity and decay. She creates sculptures, which are meditations about the human condition, and home accessories such as bowls and tableware. She experiments with different clays and produces her own glazes. “There’s a strong alchemic aspect in my job,” she says.

Interview

©Annalia Amedeo

©Annalia Amedeo

Where do you find inspiration?: My classical studies have always been a reservoir of themes and fascinations, especially the essence of archetypes. At the same time, I'm inspired by the fragility of leaves, petals, small living creatures and the way they move and change as time goes by.
Do you feel a contradiction in your work?: I think it’s more a union between an apparently gentle classic world and some intrusive, disconcerting elements, that is to say mutant organic shapes, mostly phytomorphic, which work as real energy transmitters. I am too polite, I feel the need to be more disturbing.
What is the role of the colour white in your work?: White is more than a colour, it’s a real obsession, deeply rooted in Capodimonte porcelains from my native city, Naples. I’ve been totally seduced by this porcelain since I was a child. At present, I’m experimenting with other colours and gold.
What is your most original feature?: Each artist’s specialty is in their hands: everyone has a unique savoir faire, any artwork is a meditation on a subject. Among other things, I’d say that how I use the subtle paper clay (clay mixed with paper fibres) to interpret fragility is very distinctive.

Annalia Amedeo is a master artisan: she began her career in 2003 and she started teaching in 2016