Giulio Giorgi |1

Gardening and ceramics usually meet in terracotta flowerpots and the occasional garden sculpture. Giulio Giorgi synthesises the two forms into hand-built structures that hold plants and flower beds, or rather, embrace them. His bottomless containers allow the roots to grow deeper if they need to. The repetitive impressions of his thumbs joining coil after coil create a lively, rhythmic surface, that only reveals its true strength in combination with the plants. Suddenly, the organically shaped walls and sculptures embody a deep connection with nature. True, gardening entails domination: to distinguish, control and shape certain elements into a flourishing whole. But it also expresses a yearning for balance, for coexistence. It can even become an invitation for vulnerable species to thrive. The tall, glazed sculptures Giorgi made remotely resemble human figures. Supporting plants and flowers, roots running through them, they become like guardians, inseparable from the environment they must protect.