"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"
Lewis Carroll - "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
My name is Chiara Ripoli, I am Italian, and I live in Castiglioncello, a town on the Tuscan coast. Since 2016, I have been running the Matrioska Design project in my small workshop. Here, I create a universe of ceramic heads and curious stories.
My art is inspired by pop culture and its icons, which fascinate me for the stories they hide. I am interested in understanding what made these characters or creatures who they are and how their stories intertwine with ours.
Through ceramics, I tell stories inspired by my passions: music, cinema, history, art, costume, cartoons, trash, and horror. I firmly believe that each of us has a unique story and that the icons we love are an important part of it. Our favorite icons inspire and influence us, and I try to shape them through clay. Every head I create is an original piece, modeled and painted by hand with care and dedication.
Education
1994 - 1999
Istituto Statale d'Arte F. Russoli - Pisa
1999
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Corso per scenografi e illuminotecnici
Armunia, Castiglioncello
2001 - 2006
Università degli studi Firenze Facoltà di lettere e Filosofia
Scuola Statale di Tecnologie Industriali, Firenze
2006 - 2007
2011 - 2013
Accademia di arti digitali Nemo, Firenze
Exhibitions
2020
2020
2021
2022
2024
Affordable Art Fair - Milano
“Street Urban Art” - Tozzo Atelier - Legnano (Mi)
“Ceramiche” - Cubo - Parma
“Jeune! Un gioco da ragazzi” - Paratissima - Torino
“Respiro, Arte nell' aria del bosco” - Nibbiaia (Li)