Truly Italian RootsTruly Italian – ART – Manuela Metra
Meaning and creation, rules and inspirations, creative expression and aesthetics. This – and much more – is ART. To portray it, we have chosen a protagonist who opened the doors of a perfectly imperfect world, made of artistic Wabi Sabi ceramics, material canvases and fine art photographs. On the sign outside, a magical white rabbit, as the one who lives on the moon in the Japanese myth, or Alice’s White Rabbit.
We enter a place that is her realm, where her dream, shaped through the hands, becomes a tangible job, a daily dialogue with the arts. It is an emotional and creative garden where artisanal precision and instinct meet, where the madness of inspiration and the professional precision come together. It is like a modern and urban version of Alice’s Wonderland.
There, in her Atelier, Manuela Metra welcomed us to tell us about her biggest passion.
“Art has always been part of my life”, Manuela says, “it accompanied me to my happy port. I paint, I give shape to my ideas on the wheel, I want to bring poetry into everyday life. The echo of the history of art, an Italian heritage, shines through and is transfigured in my creations”. Ceramics become an expression of the experimentation conducted for twenty years on the laws of harmony and on the balance between shape and colour, result of the teachings by her great masters.
When Manuela creates, she gives shape to her feelings, and molds a passionate horizon, a refined ensemble that can speak to different sensitivities.
In this way, her art can be both a moment of work and of sharing through lessons, workshops, art therapy sessions. Her functional works – bowls, cups with ribbon or C-shaped handles, plates and trays – are designed to stimulate that intimacy that develops between the everyday object and those who use it, becoming part of their experience, creating affection, welcoming memories of moments, gestures and people. As Gaggia wants to offer, through its coffee machines, the possibility to design and live a bespoke experience, and create moments to remember, through and beyond the product itself.
And, among oriental ceramics and changing glazes, Manuela enjoys her coffee.
The artist says: “Coffee has always been a great love of mine: black, bitter, hot. It’s my early morning resource to get you through the day. I drink it alone, in front of the kitchen wall, in one of my mugs or in a Cappuccino Lovers cups. Another mid-morning, inside my White Rabbit hole, my atelier. On days like this, it’s my lifeline, it gives me a creative boost. And I found a special blend in my roastery that smells of cocoa and vanilla”.
Now, you can find Manuela in via Privata Cascia 6, Milan
Discover her world here www.manuelametra.com and on Instagram here @manuelametra