INTERVIEW WITH CERAMIC ARTIST GIORGIA PIU
Three years ago clay arrived. From that exact moment it felt as natural a state as breathing. A dialogue between she and the matter — contemplative, instinctive, rooted in the earth. She and I.
"He gave me so much desire to learn and to live my artistic life in a positive and light way. I finally felt free and without chains. I felt I could start a structured journey but one that also could make my soul speak."
Three years ago clay arrived, and from that exact moment it felt as natural a state as breathing. For Giorgia Piu, ceramics is not a craft she learned — it is a language she remembered.
Giorgia began ceramics at the laboratory of Matilde Tibuzzi — Lab123 in Rome — while managing two jobs. Not being able to dedicate herself full time was unsettling, because early on she knew she could do so much more. The answer came through a meeting with Maestro Libero Ortuso during the pandemic.
His teaching changed everything. The freedom she found wasn't just technical — it was existential. A structured journey that could also make her soul speak. That collision of discipline and liberation became the heartbeat of Rose de Nour.
Her approach is constantly contemplative — a continuous dialogue with matter that leads her to honour the simplest gestures: the sound of water softening the earth, the raw material touch that takes her on a journey. She and the clay. The Nour collection speaks of this. An ancient soul with a modern background.
"My approach to clay is constantly contemplative, a continuous dialogue with matter that leads me to honor the simplest gestures — the sound of water to soften the earth, or the raw and material touch that takes me on a journey. She and I."
Tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences.
I am constantly inspired by nature and its purest and perfect beauty, and its strength. I have approaches to initiate myself into a free form of matter that is completely instinctive and natural. My influences have several ramifications — perhaps this is also what makes the product unique.
Do the current innovations in technology affect your work as a creative?
Until now, in no way. On the contrary — I love to go back and look for styles or working methods from the past.
I am an ancient soul with a modern background.
Tell us about your creative process.
It depends on what I create. Normally I let the movement flow while trying to give an imprint to a precise idea. Each Nour collection "talks" about this.
Anything coming up that we should know about?
I am currently drawing and designing various sculptures, including wall sculptures. As I have said before, I love design and furniture — I never want to limit myself. Ceramic is a material so full of freedom that it would be a shame to take only one direction.
Anything else you would like to share with us?
Before starting the journey with ceramics, I was painting and drawing. It was my main form of expression. I really miss dedicating parts of the night to the sheet of paper and the pencil — traveling to other realities and dimensions.
Even the Village Far
from the Metropolis.
Italy is a country that could be a power — but is absolutely not valued by its governments, current and past. The roots of the nation, the artisan shops, inevitably close. This situation, Giorgia says, is infuriating.
And yet — "I look out over the world and I am extremely fascinated, to see so many choices, so much free expression and so much support between artists that it creates a kind of breath for me."
Art is life.
in corpore
sano.
"At the base of our lives this should be our mantra, despite the busy times we are living in. I try to help myself — especially before and after long hours of session in the lab — by practicing yoga or walking. Activities that help to find your balance, but also to feel your body."
Discover more artists chosen for their ideas, not their visibility.
Antakly Projects is an independent platform dedicated to artists, musicians, photographers, designers, and thinkers at every stage — from emerging voices to established masters. Every interview is selected for depth, not reach.
"I am an ancient soul with a modern background."
More essays and cultural commentary from Leila Antakly — on art, creativity, and the world we're paying attention to.
Read on Substack ↗