The artist explores the dialogue between form and material, blending emotion, nature, and beauty in lightweight yet powerful works made of clay and natural fibers
Some artists shape matter, while others manage to make it speak. Paola Paronetto belongs to the latter, rarer category. Her paper clay pieces - light as paper, solid as earth - seem born from a silent dialogue between fragility and strength, rigor and freedom. In her workshop in Porcia, each object results from a process of waiting, mistakes turned into opportunities, and intuitions that settle like layers of color. Not by chance, it was the "rebellious" nature of paper clay that fascinated her: a material that eludes rules, demanding listening rather than control. With her collections - from Cartocci to Giganti, from Ninfee to Ranuncoli - Paola doesn't pursue perfection but something truer: the beauty of the imperfect, the unstable, the organic. Her art has been celebrated in solo exhibitions at Ille Arts Gallery in New York and the Contemporary Ceramic Centre in London. In 2021, the ADI Design Museum in Milan hosted her first Italian retrospective.
In this interview, we respectfully and curiously delve into her world.
In your hands, the material seems to become a language. Do you feel a dialogue with what you shape?
I truly believe so. For me, clay is like a pen for a writer. It helps me express what I imagine and feel. Sometimes it's all easy and fluid, but often it imposes itself, and I must adapt, open my mind, set aside rigid expectations, and follow its nature.
When did you discover paper clay? How did it allow you to reinterpret ceramic tradition in your own way?
Discovering this mixture was a turning point for me. I was seeking something different that would enable me to create what I had in mind for a long time—freer forms, as if in motion, soft, like moved by the wind. Paper clay, significantly reducing the clay's shrinkage, allows for bolder work and enables undercuts otherwise impossible to achieve.
Repeated gestures, discards, and discoveries. Silences taking shape. How does your creative process unfold? How long does it take to bring your pieces to life?
Now that I've refined my technique, creating is much simpler. With 20 years of research and experimentation with this material, I've perfected a long and meticulous process of layering and waiting, light interventions, and more waiting... Everything is very extended, and before completing a piece, it can take 40 days or more, depending on atmospheric conditions and seasons. Nature's influence plays a fundamental role in my entire process.
Your works don't seek perfection but a freer balance. How does inspiration for your collections arise? Has a mistake ever opened new paths?
I'm not interested in perfection—not anymore. Now, I want to create objects with a soul, capable of speaking to those who observe them, each with its own personality. Many of my collections arise from mistakes or sudden changes in direction. I might start with an idea, but along the way, things happen or I see others that surprise me, and I decide to follow them, changing the initial concept. Those are the ones I like most because I feel I interact with the material, and it's much more dynamic and interesting to be involved by small events or unexpected incidents.
Nature and color are prominent in your imagery.
Nature is all around me; I've always lived in the countryside with many animals, so it's part of me and, of course, also part of my work. Everything I do is closely connected to the plant and animal world. Colors are fundamental in my life and in everything I do. I prefer matte ones because they embrace light and make it their own. They can have different meanings depending on moments and situations or even simultaneously encompass symbolic and emotional aspects.
Sustainability is a strong theme. How is it expressed in your practice?
Yes, nature is very dear to me, and consequently, so is sustainability. I installed a 20kW photovoltaic system 20 years ago. I recycle everything—literally everything, even the clay scraps we discard. We've eliminated all plastic from packaging and use only cardboard and paper. In general, we always strive to improve and find more sustainable strategies wherever possible.
Tag: Design People Interviste Product Design
© Fuorisalone.it — All rights reserved. — Published on 19 June 2025
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