Davide Monaldi on Ceramics, Irony, and the Everyday

Davide Monaldi (b. 1983, San Benedetto del Tronto) discovered ceramics by chance about 20 years ago and has since pushed the material to its extremes, preserving simplicity and immediacy while cultivating irony and melancholy. His latest solo show at Galleria Ncontemporary in Milan brought together recent works with new configurations of past pieces, moving his sculptural practice toward an increasingly installation-based direction. In an interview with Artribune, Monaldi recounts his beginnings at R.U.F.A. in Rome, where his teacher Davide Dormino was instrumental. He cites Klara Kristalova as a reference but distances himself from the Italian ceramic tradition of Fontana and Leoncillo. Monaldi sees the recent revival of ceramics as a reaction to hyper-technologization, re-establishing direct contact with matter. His work balances irony and disturbing atmospheres, with animals on two legs that are both funny and unsettling. He uses humble subjects like elastic bands, shavings, and chewing gum as implicit self-portraits, exploring fragility and dignity. Monaldi avoids preparatory sketches, working directly on clay. For the Ncontemporary show, he created a St. Francis piece, not as an homage to the 800th anniversary of his death but from a long-held idea. He identifies as a sculptor who uses ceramics, not a ceramist, and is now integrating found objects like a refrigerator door and a table into his installations.