Paolo Gonzato on Ceramics: From Self-Taught to Professional

Paolo Gonzato (b. 1975), a Milan-based artist trained at Brera Academy, discusses his evolving relationship with ceramics. He began working with clay fifteen years ago as an autodidact, using leftover materials from high school. Gonzato cites 20th-century artists like Fausto Melotti, Carlo Zauli, Guido Gambone, and Marcello Fantoni as influences, and also draws inspiration from archaeological fragments. He values the tactile, alchemical transformation of clay and has relied on workshops for firing and technical advice; for future projects, he will collaborate with Bottega Gatti in Faenza. His ceramic works, such as the series 'L'isola delle rose' (2012) at APalazzo Gallery in Brescia, treat vases as symbolic, sculptural objects rather than functional ones. He uses pale, pastel glazes with specific symbolic meanings. Recently, for 'Morfologia delle meraviglie' in Puglia, curated by Lorenzo Madaro for Officine Saffi, he created 'COPY', a large urn derived from an 18th-century Piranesi engraving, exploring serial reproduction and visual degradation. Upcoming projects include producing at Ceramiche San Giorgio in Albissola with 87-year-old Giovanni Poggi, who worked with Lucio Fontana and Asger Jorn.