Paolo Santangelo Discusses Ceramics, Public Art, and Maison&Objet Paris 2026

Italian ceramic designer Paolo Santangelo presented new work at Maison&Objet Paris 2026 within the Fine Craft sector, where he unveiled PERSONA, a series exploring form, color, material, and the human body. The presentation followed his permanent public installation AI MARINESI in Marina di Ginosa, which shifts his practice from domestic objects to landscape-scale work. In an interview, Santangelo traced his path from early experiences in the workshops of Grottaglie at age sixteen to developing a structured studio from 2021 onward, with an atelier, production, and team established by 2024. He described ceramics as a language rather than a technique, and discussed how scale alters emotional and collective relationships with a work. After Paris, he aims to build relationships with galleries, design stores, interior designers, architects, and hospitality companies, while continuing to evolve the studio’s language. He also expressed openness to a four-handed collaboration, prioritizing shared curiosity and experimental vision over a specific name. The article notes that his practice moves between intimate objects and monumental public works, with PERSONA turning inward toward individuality and AI MARINESI reaching outward toward community and territory.