Antonio Aricò adorns terracotta objects with Greek motifs

Italian artist, designer and creative director Antonio Aricò's forays in the fields of art, craft and design can seldom be construed as archetypal examples of contemporary design. They are boldly coloured, intrepidly hold animated figures and symbols, draw inspiration from ancient traditions, and are configured in a manner that evokes images of strange and wondrous imaginary lands. From rugs and keychains to packaging graphics, furniture and kitchenware, Aricò has reconnoitred various creative disciplines and experimented to create designs for various functions and fancies. His recent collection, created for the Italian brand Seletti and titled Magna Graecia, comprises a series of terracotta objects that function as vases, stools, and sculptures. Their features are inspired by the styles and characteristics specific to ancient Greek colonies in southern Italy, and they are hence called Magna Graecia, which translates to Greater Greece and refers to the coastal areas of southern Italy.

The Magna Graecia collection comprises objects that can inhabit both indoor and outdoor spaces. Aricò intends for the pieces to “invade terraces, gardens, verandas, but also lounges, living rooms, and entrance halls of houses all over the world bringing everywhere a material closely linked to the Mediterranean tradition.” While terracotta is already commonly used to build objects in southern Italy, Aricò envisions a future for the material beyond the border. In an attempt to also narrate stories specific to the region, the Italian designer picked up features incidental to Greek architecture in Italy. Further enunciating on the influences that shaped the collection, the designer asserts, “The collection is influenced by my Mediterranean and Italian cultural heritage. This is visible in the archetypes of the vases, the decorations and the overall theme of the collection.”

The terracotta objects were shaped using the slip-casting technique. This ensures their large-scale, qualitative production. “Terracotta is, apparently, a very poor material, but one can do magic with it. I am fascinated by its ‘nude’ colour and the natural imperfection of its thicknesses, qualities that prompted me to create a family of objects that could speak of craftsmanship and at the same time tell passionate stories through the interpretation of Magna Graecia decorations," shares Aricò.

The Magna Graecia collection is made up of vases, jugs, and pedestals that can alternatively be used as stools and stands, ashtrays, and human sculptures. While the vases derive inspiration from Doric columns and wave-like motifs and come in two iterations, free-standing and wall-mounted, the jug bears a resemblance to traditional designs popular in their smaller iterations. Two other vase designs by Aricò include female and male heads—inspired by the ceramics of Caltagirone—cradling a cavity. The pedestals, on the other hand, are shorter replications of Ionic columns, and the ashtrays come in large sizes with Greek motifs embellished on them. Aricò’s chiselled statues bear semblance to Riace bronzes—two life-size Greek bronze statues of nude, bearded warriors, from the 5th century BC.

Aricò’s collaboration with Seletti helped infuse grace and irony in the collection’s thematic, a factor incidental to the brand’s intent of merging design with pop art. Recalling the incidents that led to the culmination of this project, Aricò shares, “In 2012, Seletti was the first design house I collaborated with. We stayed in touch and started working on terracotta five years ago. Stefano Seletti asked me to create a collection ‘in my style’. Last year, when I came down with a severe case of COVID-19 and had to stay home for a month, I used the time to think about an overall concept. I wanted to think of everything: the objects but also the communication, Instagram, packaging etc. I wanted to interpret the Greek heritage using terracotta, all in a playful spirit that fits me!”

The spirited objects of Magna Graecia were photographed against a staged wintry Greek landscape. “The warmth of the colour of the terracotta pieces is in contrast with the dreamy and cold landscape representing a Greek archaeological site covered with blue snow. The dynamism of the pieces is highlighted by the natural light of Southern Italy. The pieces are here represented in their own imaginary world,” the designer explains.

Aricò manages to communicate ancient tales in a current language by demanding defining aspects from Greek architecture and art and infusing them with the nuance of temperate colours, shapes, and features.