Caterina Amato

Manì Ceramica Pop

Ceramicist

A feeling for clay

Caterina crafts playful and colourful tableware pieces
Her practice also focuses on abstract sculptural work
She collaborates with other artists to make their designs fully come to life

Caterina Amato’s first encounter with clay occurred in the Milanese studio of multimedia sculptor Kris Ruhs, with whom Caterina started collaborating in 1999. “One day he asked me to choose a material I wanted to experiment with,” she remembers, “and I picked clay. The first time I touched it, I was overwhelmed.” Kris Ruhs gave her total freedom to follow her instinct and bought her all the tools she needed. Caterina started making ceramics from scratch, at first self-taught and then following courses in Spain, China and other countries. “Clay is a unique material, which can be shaped in any form. At times it can be as terrifying as a blank sheet of paper, but I was conquered by its versatility and its texture. Thanks to Kris, I was able to try my hand at thousands of different productions, even large-scale ones. The world of ceramics is so vast that, after 20 years, I still feel I do not know anything!”

Interview

Why do you focus on everyday objects?: Perhaps because I am a little saturated with all the art that surrounds me, so I prefer to make useful and beautiful things that don't cost too much and that people can enjoy every day. This is my purpose and I always say “use them, and do not worry about breaking them!”
Do you always have a finished project in mind?: In an effort to lower costs, I always start from a set of standard potter shapes. Then I deform them, decorate them, put on handles, add things and make them more personal and imperfect. Every year I redo all the colours, because I like the surprise of ceramics, the thrill of saying “how what will come out?”
What inspires your sculptural works?: Nature. At the moment, I am particularly inspired by the tentacles of anemones, polyps – things that move in a fluid, harmonious and natural way. Some shapes are deformed by the heat in the kiln, which is something I really like, because I cannot control it.
What do you love about your craft?: The surprise of opening the kiln. I also like the discipline and the patience, the constancy, and knowing how – and when – to let go. When something breaks, I accept it. Learning to cope with the mourning of a broken object is something that ceramics teaches you to do.

Caterina Amato is a master artisan: she began her career in 1999 and she started teaching in 2005