María Cecilia Pagliari
Taller Crecer
Ceramicist
Montevideo, Uruguay
Surrounding us with beauty
- María Cecilia likes unconventional ceramic forms
- Freedom is what she likes most about her profession
- Research and observation are fundamental to her
María Cecilia Pagliari was trained at the School of Arts and Crafts of UTU with mentors Mariana Soler and Beatriz Cabezas. Her interest in craftsmanship arose in adolescence. "I did not want to have a regular job, I wanted my life to be entwined with art," says María Cecilia. At 17, she applied to the Mercado de Los Artesanos, an Uruguayan association that brings together local artisans, and was accepted. "In those days I did not work with ceramics, but I made some cloth dolls that were good enough to get me in," she says. María Cecilia discovered ceramics there. "I feel I have total freedom to do whatever I want. Working with clay is like entering a magical world where you can give shape to the ideas you have in your head." She combines her creative production with teaching.
INTERVIEW
Ceramics are closely related to daily life. I usually tell my students that once you get into ceramics, you cannot get out of it. You fall in love with the craft. Ceramics are present in everything we do, especially nowadays when we try to live in a healthier way.
I am passionate about transforming shapes. I love that things go through my subjectivity. If I am going to make a pitcher, I want it to be my pitcher. I try to change its shape and make it an unconventional piece. With the form I find the vehicle to express myself.
Making utilitarian objects is not at odds with art and sensibility. Precisely because it is a piece with which we are going to interact frequently, I believe that surrounding ourselves with beautiful things is very important. This makes us feel good, and feeling good is a quest in itself.
I am researching other areas. I am working a lot with glass and looking for both ceramic and glass to meet. It is something for which I am still at the research stage, but that I am very passionate about. Glass connects very well with ceramics.
1 EXPERIENCE
