Both faces and books tell stories, and perhaps that’s why Italian artist Paola Grizi’s terracotta sculptures are so captivating. Grizi does an excellent job conveying deep emotions through the expressions on each face. “Sometimes the faces emerge from the material are as epiphanies of the consciousness,” she says on her artist statement.
According to Grizi’s website, she developed her love of art when she was still a child, while watching the work of her grandfather, painter and sculptor. In 2014, she won the 3rd Biannual International ceramics contest of Ascoli Piceno and has been invited by Chinese Changchun Municipality to represent Italy at the 3rd China Changchun International Ceramics Symposium. Some of her sculptures are permanently exhibited in the city’s World Sculpture Park.
In a candid interview with Italy’s Arte Magazine, she explains how a challenging event led her to producing some incredible artwork – “After graduating from high school in classical studies and earning a degree in literature, I worked for a long time in the journalistic and editorial fields until my [son’s] arrival. That’s when I was ‘induced’ to quit my job. Such misadventure happened to be a possibility for change. I chose an activity – perhaps less safe yet, extremely creative and satisfying for myself.”
Last photo credit: Arte Magazine