Andrea Salvatori

Ceramicist | Solarolo, Italy

Turning kitsch into art form

Andrea was trained by master ceramicists Bertozzi & Casoni
In 2009 he was awarded the prestigious Premio Faenza
It takes him up to 15 days to create an elephant

Andrea Salvatori is the perfect example of how dedication and study can enable a pupil to equal his master. Andrea learned the secrets of ceramics from the creative duo Giampaolo Bertozzi and Stefano Dal Monte Casoni. Their Bertozzi & Casoni atelier is one of the feathers in the cap of Italian ceramics. “Funnily enough, in the beginning my idea was to study sculpture. I enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, but in my spare time I started working with Bertozzi & Casoni to earn some pocket money. I ended up falling in love with ceramics.” His passion was soon rewarded by success: in 2009, Andrea received one of the most important prizes in the world for ceramics, the Premio Faenza.

Interview

In what way does your work reflect the traditions of Faenza?: At first, I tried to move as far away as possible from the classic Faenza ceramics. Then I discovered the extraordinary creations of the great masters of the 20th century: Pietro Melandri, Carlo Zauli, Riccardo Gatti. In a way, I brought their work into mine.
Not only metaphorically speaking....: Exactly. Part of my production consists of taking existing pieces, which I find in antiques markets, and transforming them by adding something of my own. It can be the figurine of a young lady being swallowed by a dragon, or more abstract designs.
You are not scared of using the word 'kitsch'.: I graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts with a final essay on kitsch, and I immediately tried to merge this point of view with ceramics. My first work was a figurine depicting a self-portrait of myself wearing a Hawaiian shirt, representing the stereotype of the average tourist.
Poised between craft and art, how would you define yourself?: A researcher of shapes. I like to start with a commonplace shape and arrive at something unexpected. The moment I love most in my craft is when I sit in my studio, hands in the clay, with an audiobook in the background to help me immerse myself into wonderful stories while I create.

Andrea Salvatori is a master artisan: he began his career in 2004 and he started teaching in 2018