INES S.r.l.
Forme d'Arte
featuring Carlo Zoli
Italy
Logo: Carlo Zoli
Fourth descendant of a family of Faenza ceramists, Carlo Zoli was born in Bari in 1959 and lives in Faenza since 1967, where he still works today.
His great-grandfather Carlo was a ceramist in Borgo Durbecco at the beginning of the 20th century; his grandfather Paolo was a painter with the Minardi brothers and since 1918 the owner with Pietro Melandri, Lino Fabbri and Amerigo Masotti of the "La Faience" workshop, hence the renewal of tradition with new technical and stylistic research.
His father Francesco, himself a painter as well as a sculptor, was a lecturer in Artistic Decoration and it was under his wing that the young Carlo, born in Bari, was trained during the period in which his father taught in Apulia, before obtaining a professorship in Faenza and returning there with his family in 1967. Carlo Zoli's artistic qualities gained appreciation very soon and in 1985, he began exhibiting his works in galleries and institutions in Italy and abroad.
He has always preferred to create by modelling clay, and his unique pieces in polychrome terracotta inspired by myth, history and legend are well known. His unique works are characterised by a continuous search for new materials and new techniques to combine with terracotta: enamels and finishes in gold, third fire, gold leaf, resins and plaster.
Life and its magnificent complexity inspired his poetry. Struggles, challenges, energy, strength but also stillness and serenity. From these concepts derive his main series, Quiet and Storm, the two faces of existence that we can immediately recognise by observing the exploits of the characters he forged, gods or fantastic characters, discovering that their passions and feelings have remained unchanged to this day.
The year 2023 was a significant one for Zoli. First, he was invited to participate in the 14th Florence Biennale, directed by Jacopo Celona, attending the international event at the World Art Dubai in March and bringing his art to the Arab world for the first time. This was followed by the annual exhibition at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, an important event where Zoli presented ten unseen works, some part of the Il Teatro di Carlo series.
On that occasion, the artist won the Lorenzo il Magnifico International Prize in the ceramics category with I sacri fratelli (Holy brothers), or Castor and Pollux, which was then taken to the prestigious Accademia delle arti del disegno in Florence from 11 to 28 January 2024 and then to the Villa Ciani in Lugano on the occasion of YouNique Exhibition.
In 2024, his solo exhibition 'L'infinito volgere del tempo' (The Infinite Turning of Time) took place at Palazzo Guadagni Strozzi Sacrati, headquarters of the Region of Tuscany in Florence and in Milan in the Hub/Art spin-off.
TITANS by Carlo Zoli
Carlo Zoli: Titans / Polychrome terracotta, metal, cement, resins, gold leaf / H.58 x L.47 x P.48 cm / 2021 / Photo: Camilla Valli
In Carlo Zoli's creative world, the Titans transcend mere myth. They become powerful symbols that resonate with the challenges of our own times. These primordial beings embody the raw, untamed forces of the cosmos, a reflection of the spirit within us all. They are the men and women we see every day – vulnerable and courageous. Their epic saga, a tapestry woven with struggles and dramatic turns, mirrors our own lives: the whirlwind of challenges, conflicts, and tumultuous emotions that define us. The Titans, as reimagined by the artist, embody our values. They remind us that true courage does not lie in the absence of fear, but in the audacity to face our weaknesses and persevere in the face of adversity.
HOLY BROTHERS by Carlo Zoli
Carlo Zoli: Holy Brothers / Polychrome terracotta, plaster, metal, resins, gold leaf / H.106 x L.47 x P.35 cm / 2022
Photo: Camilla Valli
The two warriors, armed with spears, are mirror images of each other, their vigorous and athletic bodies sculpted in clay, then in polychrome terracotta with bronze patinas, and their gleaming helmets and shields finished with gold leaf. The artist captures the mutual protection that binds them, though their natures are not identical but complementary. Conceived on the same night but separately by their mother Leda, Pollux, the son of Zeus, is immortal, while Castor, the son of her husband Tyndareus, is not. Nevertheless, they are inseparable and engaged in grand enterprises such as the expedition with the Argonauts and the founding of the city of Dioscuria. They also rescue the wounded on the battlefield or at sea, an element from which they seem to emerge; a portion of the ocean solidified into a blue parallelepiped, created with plaster, colour, and resin. Driven by grief after his brother's death, Pollux pleads with Zeus to relinquish his immortality. This act sparks contemplation on the nature of self and belonging, the power of empathy, and the shared experiences that define our lives. The work garnered the prestigious Lorenzo il Magnifico award at the 14th Florence Biennale in 2023.
URANIA by Carlo Zoli
Carlo Zoli: Urania / Polychrome terracotta, metal, resins / H.75 x L.26 x P.26 cm / 2022 / Photo: Camilla Valli
Forget the social media stars and their fleeting fame. The real hero of our time is Urania, the muse of astronomy and astrology, daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, brought to Earth by the artist Carlo Zoli. Her mind holds the vast knowledge of the cosmos, whispering secrets of distant stars and galaxies. Her eyes reflect the infinity of the sky, and her forms, sinuous and voluptuous, are enhanced by delicately shimmering details that the artist chooses to emphasize her divine nature. Like a contemporary astrophysicist, she uses the power of inspiration to face life and remind all of humanity of its place among the stars.
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