Honourable Mention at the 32nd Competition of Contemporary Ceramic Art «Mediterraneo»

Once again, the Grottaglie Ceramics Museum proudly hosts the International Ceramic Contest “Mediterraneo.” In this edition, the jury has selected 73 works from all around the world, reaffirming the versatility of ceramics and its boundless expressive potential.

It is a true honour that Body Poetry has received an Honourable Mention for the originality of its concept and the refinement of its details. The work delves into themes of bodily transformation—surgical interventions and manipulations intended to reverse the passage of time—a topic increasingly explored in contemporary cinema and visual art.

The conceptual framework of Body Poetry took shape after viewing Body Odyssey (2023), the debut film by Italian director Grazia Tricarico starring Swiss bodybuilder Jacqueline “Jay” Fuchs, and The Substance (2024), directed by Coralie Fargeat and featuring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

To create the final composition, I replicated a body-reductive ointment container, two perfume caps, and a series of self-portraits that served as the foundation for the piece. The poetic treatment of these images recalls a surgical process: cuts are made, then reassembled onto the surfaces of the works. The fitting of these images onto the porcelain forms becomes a metaphor for how we adapt ourselves to social standards of beauty. Each element affirms peculiarity as a virtue, celebrating the individuality of each body.

The porcelain pieces are complemented by a blown-glass element, alluding to the fragility and malleability of the human aura. The installation evokes a surgical setting—complete with surgical tools—all displayed on a stainless-steel tray commonly used in medical environments. Every detail underscores difference as a positive quality, honouring the singularity and beauty of each form.