"Clay Narratives – Archetypes in Fairy Tales and Myths", hosted at the Museum of the Walls from September 18 to November 15, 2020.
A showcase of ceramic sculptures
in which eighteen women artists shape, through clay,
childhood memories and symbols drawn from fairy tales
and myths.
The exhibition, with free admission and promoted by Roma Capitale, Department of Cultural Growth – Capitoline Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, is conceived by the cultural association Officina Creativa Le Lase and curated by Manuela Troilo. Museum services by Zètema Progetto Cultura.
The towers of the Aurelian Walls,
the refined ceramic artistry of a group of women artists,
and the fantastical symbolic world of fairy tales:
these are the elements that make up the exhibition
"CLAY NARRATIVES: Archetypes in Fairy Tales and Myths", hosted at the Museum of the Walls.
"Clay Narratives" is a ceramic art exhibition in which clay is explored in all its possible forms, with particular attention to experimentation and the cross-pollination of contemporary artistic avant-garde practices.
United by their love for such a versatile expressive medium, eighteen ceramic artists from very diverse backgrounds have come together in this exhibition project to convey their emotions—woven with childhood memories—and to represent feminine archetypes, and beyond, found in fairy tales, myths, and epic narratives.
Through a collection of over 70 works of varying sizes—some almost miniature, others reaching up to 2 meters in height—they offer both reflections and playful imaginative expression, ranging from references to Basile to those of Calvino, who described the fairy tale as “a general explanation of life; a catalogue of the destinies that may befall a man and a woman, especially in that phase of life when destiny is shaped: youth, later confirmed in maturity and old age.”
The participating artists are Francesca Bedetti, Eugenia Berčić, Fernanda Andrea Cabello, Cinzia Catena, Luisa Del Vecchio, Alessandra Di Marco, Emanuela Fabozzi, Anna Maria Grippo, Robbie Mazzaro, Maria Grazia Morsella, Speranza Neri, Paola Ramondini, Francesca Romana Sansoni, Alessandra Spina, Manuela Troilo, Raffaella Troise, Maria Valerio, Tatiana Viduatto.
The exhibition unfolds within the spaces of Porta San Sebastiano, across its two towers and the walkway connecting them, which overlooks the gateway in Rome’s defensive walls.
At the beginning of the exhibition path, visitors can admire magical plants with their seeds, dragon skin, ancient calligraphies engraved on ceramic cubes marked by time, and chromatic clay slabs that become true “clay narratives.”
In the room above the gate, clay takes on the form of faces telling stories of princesses, fairies, witches, and queens, alternating with works in which fragmented matter seems to float in the ether before recomposing into a synthesis of symbols and myths.
The exhibited works encompass many ceramic and decorative techniques, including neriage, engobe, bucchero, raku, naked raku, pit firing, and obvara.
Finally, a section is dedicated to the artistic production of ten children (students from the “Colori in Volo” workshop led by Alessandra Di Marco), who, through the project “The World of Pinocchio”, express the beauty of shaping clay and the freshness of a child’s spontaneous and original gesture.
The Value of Clay
Clay is only seemingly a humble material; in reality, it is rich in artistic and spiritual meaning. Clay artifacts are among the oldest forms of craftsmanship known to humanity, with evidence dating back approximately 9,000 years, and they have been fundamental to establishing universal chronologies.
The ceramic artist is an almost mythical figure, as the transformation and shaping of clay are intimately connected to the divine act of Creation. Ancient religions used ceramics to give tangible form to their gods, creating clay “images” employed in ritual and propitiatory practices.
