Marta Benet Morera

Ceramicist

©Luca Stocchero

©Marta Benet

©Luca Stocchero

©Marta Benet

From Valencia with love

Marta is inspired by the traditional crafts of her native city
She often combines textile design and ceramics
Working in a village means she offers her services almost exclusively

Marta Benet Morera is a Spanish artisan, designer and architect based in Italy. She grew up in a very crafty area, in the city of Valencia known for its ceramics and textiles, where women have clothes made by seamstress. After having trained in fashion, Marta opened her own studio focusing on made-to-measure, however, she soon got tired of focusing only on dressmaking and after a couple of years she moved to Milan and started dabbing into the other traditional Valencian craft: pottery. Today, she runs a studio in the outskirts of Mantua where she offers consultation and creates ceramic objects which look back at the old traditions of her native city but are infused with a contemporary twist.

Where

Interview

©Elio Rosato

©Marta Benet

Why textiles and why ceramics?: They are both creative artisanal traditions of my beloved native city, Valencia. Today I use my background in fashion design to make pottery: instead of using the lathe, I create patterns – in the same way I used to for dresses.
How would you define your work?: I have had the privilege of multiple training courses – and ceramic is a very versatile discipline. What I try to do is to find my own creative language, taking inspiration from everything I know and from my background in order to create a modern expression of what is actually a very ancient craft.
Is Spain still your primary source of inspiration?: I am inspired by Spain and by the Mediterranean in everything I do. For example, some of my ceramics have the same pattern of the wicker baskets that you find in the markets of Valencia. On the other hand, being in Italy means that I can find the best raw materials.
What are the pros and cons of living and working in a small village?: Milan offers a lot of opportunities and a lot of inspiration, but it is also very expensive and there are so many distractions. In my village, I can have my own space in a beautiful green setting, focus on my work and offer my services almost exclusively because I am the only one locally doing this kind of work.

Marta Benet Morera is a rising star: she began her career in 2016 and she started teaching in 2020