The Hands of the Maker
Ugo Marano lived much of his life in Cetara, on the Amalfi Coast, a place where the salt and sea air meet the clay-rich earth of the hills. Born in 1943 in Capriglia, Italy, his hands learned the weight and texture of different materials through years of formal study. He studied at the Accademia del Disegno within the Vatican City and later at the Accademia del Mosaico in Ravenna. These early years were spent understanding how stone, glass, and pigment respond to pressure and heat. From 1967, his focus shifted toward ceramics, a medium that allowed him to work with the very soil of his region.
His practice was not limited to a single form. He moved between writing, painting, mosaics, sculpture, and design. In 1971, he established the Museo Vivo, a ceramics factory set within a small, wooded park. This space functioned as a laboratory for his ideas on community and reception. Through his work, he explored the concept of "positive radicalism," using objects to create spaces for encounter. He often used everyday items—cups, bowls, and saucers—to transform a simple seat or table into a place where people might gather and share.
Materiality and Thought
The surfaces of his work carry the marks of time and natural decay. In his Arrugginibili series, which began in 1967, he used sheet iron to create sculptures that change as they oxidize. Each piece in this sequence is numbered, starting from 671, allowing the metal to react to the elements like sea salt and moisture. This process of letting rust form becomes part of the object itself. He also worked with wire stitching and terracotta, creating small, named chairs in his Signore Sedie series between 1979 and 1980. These pieces, such as Sedia dei sogni interrotti, treat the chair as a figure that holds meaning beyond mere utility.
His approach to ceramics was deeply tied to the landscape of the Salerno province. He looked to the traditions of the clay-working areas near Rufoli and Cetara, where the firing of terracotta is a long-standing local practice. His work often reflects a connection to nature, using the metamorphic energy of clay to represent the sea or the earth. In pieces like Waves from 1981, the movement of water is captured through the medium of ceramic. He also used writing as a tool, carving words into surfaces or creating artist's books that combined text with visual form.
A Legacy of Objects
The presence of his work can be found in various institutions and collections across Europe. His pieces have been held in the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Groninger Museum in Holland, and the Triennale Design Museum in Milano. Large-scale installations and works like La Panca degli Sposi demonstrate how he used anthropomorphic shapes to turn a bench into a space for receiving others. His exhibitions have spanned from the Vatican City to Naples, often focusing on themes of home, body, and nature.
His career was marked by several specific series and projects:
- Arrugginibili: Iron sculptures that embrace natural oxidation.
- Signore Sedie: A collection of terracotta chairs with individual names.
- Museo Vivo: A ceramics factory and cultural laboratory.
- Writing and Books: The use of text as a physical, carved, or printed element in his art.
