Catherine Azoulai

Ceramicist

©Catherine Azoulai

©Aline Rabusseau

©Catherine Azoulai

©Aline Rabusseau

The beautiful in all objects

Catherine's work explores the commercial and artisanal status of objects
Her ceramics are influenced by her experience between France and Italy
She creates utilitarian and decorative objects as well as sculptures

Catherine Azoulai is a ceramicist who specialises in fine gold decoration. Although she initially pursued studies in law, she soon decided to devote herself to craftsmanship. It was in Florence, in the workshop of Romano Pampaloni and Nicoletta Malavolti, that she learned the art of throwing and decorating earthenware. "My sources of inspiration lie in beauty, beauty in art, in nature or, more abstractly, in ideas,” she explains. “I am sensitive to the beauty of everyday objects, from the most modest, to the most prestigious. I work with them without hierarchy.” Catherine notably enjoys working on objects that have become commercial products, such as garden gnomes, to revive their original craft status. After several years of living in Tours, Catherine recently moved her atelier to Florence.

Interview

©Aline Rabusseau

©Catherine Azoulai

When did you first consider earthenware as your craft?: I was living in Florence, I had just finished my law thesis, but I wanted to change my career path. I was 30 at the time and allowed myself to imagine what I would have done if I could go back 10 or 15 years. I felt an urge to work with my hands. As a result, I decided to study ceramics because of the richness of this craft.
In what way is your craft linked to the territory?: I have worked in Tours, France, and now in Florence, Italy. In these two very different places, my attachment to the territory is reflected in my great sensitivity to the environment in which I work. The aesthetic emotion that these places give me permeates my daily life and influences my work.
How do each of these places influence you?: In Tours, there is the Loire river, a magnificent river that runs through the city. My studio was on the riverbank, which was a major source of inspiration for me. In Florence, the aesthetic emotion is omnipresent. It is awakened every day when I cross the city on my way to my workshop.
What do you love most about your profession today?: I love craftsmanship, the work of the hand with its demands for perseverance and repetition. I like the creative part, which is constantly linked to this repetitive, laborious work. Creation seems to come from the mind as if spontaneously, but it takes shape and becomes incarnate thanks to the work of the hands.

Catherine Azoulai is a rising star: she began her career in 2016