On this occasion, I had the opportunity to exhibit two bodies of work that were created at two different times with different meanings yet united by an inner thread that has guided me over the last five years. Anthropocene is a collection of unpublished works on paper that I produced mainly during the Covid period, describing the present dimension dominated by the proliferation of human activities in alarming conflict with the biological balance of the natural order. However, it is an engaging parade of characters that take us on a kaleidoscopic journey through human reality.

Green Regeneration in parallel is a series of sculptures created at the Archie Bray Foundation in 2023, after the works on paper, which seek to offer a possible perspective to pursue, consisting of green deities, symbols of a symbiosis between man and nature. A concrete act that brings a vision to determine the creation of a sustainable future that replaces the anthropocentric vision with a biocentric one in which man is no longer the centre but a subject alongside other pre-existing ones that contribute to the biodiversity of the complex and miraculous balance that created life on earth.

After graduating in painting (Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, Italy), Porelli began a period of experimentation in ceramics in which he identified an anthropomorphic figure as his preferred expressive form. Clay remains his principal medium, although he often integrates ‘ready-mades’ in his sculptures as well as casts of found objects. Life-size to small-scale figures stand alone or in installations. In recent work, Porelli uses 3-D images and 3-D printing to create prototypes for series of figures, individualised through modifications, additions and subtractions. 

Paolo Porelli
paoloporelli.com
@paoloporelli

Porelli’s works have been presented in almost 20 solo shows and more than 90 group exhibitions including international biennials in the US, Europe and Asia. The subject of feature-length articles in the US, Asia and Europe, Porelli has participated in symposia and residencies at The International Ceramic Studio in Keskemet, The Bray, The Clay Studio of Philadelphia, European Ceramic Work Centre, Jingdezhen International Studio and more. He is currently preparing museum solo shows in the US, Germany and Italy for 2026/27. In 2026 and 2027, his itinerant solo show “Figure Out: Catastrophe or Regeneration” will be presented at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum and at the Fuller Craft Museum. 

Co-founder of CRETA Rome (2012), an international centre for ceramics and fine arts. In 2021, he was elected a member of the International Academy of Ceramics.