• Michael specialises in the zogan technique in his porcelain works
• He is inspired by Japanese arts and traditions
• His works received the Coup de cœur award from the French Ministry of Culture in 2022

Michael Maio creates decorative objects and blades from porcelain, and decorates them by hand using the traditional Japanese zogan technique of inlaying coloured slip. He adopts a refined style that shifts between graphic and figurative motifs, always using a limited palette of three colours. After initially studying in a different field, he felt the need for a more hands-on profession. “I wanted to practise something rooted in working with materials,” he explains. He was instantly drawn to ceramics and was inspired by pop culture and traditional Japanese arts and crafts. "I centre my creative process on the interplay between emptiness and fullness. I enjoy using ancestral techniques such as wheel throwing and zogan to produce elegant pieces that feel entirely modern," Michael says. In 2022, he received the Coup de cœur award from the French Ministry of Culture at the European Fine Craft Fair Résonances.