mara colecchia

“The whimsical soul of objects”.

Through my work with ceramics I try to reproduce the feel of ancient objects of worship in a whimsical way. My aim as a designer is to pull out the inner soul of mundane objects, such as shoes, wigs, noses, and to enhance those peculiarities that make them unique and somewhat alive. All this made with a playful touch.

What I am interested mostly in is the counter position of elements: glaze vs. fur, porcelain vs. metal.

Conceptually speaking, I put an element of ambiguity in every piece that I design: A strand of hair on a wig hints at a tentacle of an octopus; a warrior's helmet reminds us of a plush toy with stitched ears; a human nose is a totem that hints at fertility.

My goal as an artist is to rescale my work and to design outdoor sculptures that complement the urban landscape. Imagine a giant bronze nose standing out of a crowded square, or a 5 feet boot lying against a skyscraper.

I was born in Italy, where I have done my education in the arts. I have been working in animation for several years in Rome, before moving to LA in 2009. My production in visual art has been initially influenced by my work of creative writer and illustrator of children books; my pieces where meant to illustrate stories that I conceived, mostly mokumentaries about fantastic worlds and creatures, such as the "Amazing Matchstick Ballerinas' Circus". Starting from the end of 2012 I began to gravitate towards a new conception of the visual art as a simple creation of beautiful objects of design. I do mainly ceramics and mixed media sculptures, always looking for more elegant shapes and more valuable materials.