Sisters working side by side
- Ivana and Saura Vignoli opened their workshop in 1976
- In 2016, they received the Maestro d'Arte e Mestiere (MAM) prize
- They are well known for their fish designs
One is the spokeswoman, the other stays silent. One is skilled in figurative art, the other admits to being less gifted, specialising in geometric patterns and fish designs instead, which is one of the features of their production. For the past 43 years, sisters Ivana and Saura Vignoli have together been one of the best-known creators of artistic ceramics in Italy, in particular of the majolica that is typical of Faenza, the town where they run their workshop. “By an irony of fate, we opened our workshop on 1 May, which is Labour Day. And since then, we have never stopped,” explains Saura, the younger of the Vignoli sisters.
INTERVIEW
Saura: Ivana has always been a model for me, so when it came to choose what school I would study at, I naturally opted for the Istituto d’Arte Ballardini, one of the best schools for ceramics. But unlike Ivana, it was not a vocation for me, and my passion for ceramics developed later.
Encountering optical art and the works of Bridget Riley. Also, I owe much more to The Who’s t-shirts than to five years of schooling! To this day that’s still my source of inspiration, together with Byzantine and Arabic art.
We use a technique that derives from the Arabian world, which involves firing the majolica with blast-fire reduction. In this process, the copper oxide turns red-gold from green-black. But each firing has a story of its own, and each product results in different effects.
Indeed! I would love to leave the workshop in the hands of our young collaborators and go to Kabul, where the English founded an applied arts school that to this day produces excellent artisans. But the ceramics division is not really up to scratch, so I could go and lend a hand.
