artist/ Sylvia

France

Inspired by the landscapes that surround her and by her Portuguese heritage, Sylvia reinterprets majolica as a contemporary pictorial medium. Originating during the Italian Renaissance and later widely disseminated throughout the Iberian Peninsula through Portuguese azulejos, this technique of painting on earthenware forms the foundation of a practice that she reimagines through a distinctly contemporary approach.

Trained in analogue photography at Paris 8 University, she developed a particular sensitivity to light, composition, and the transformations of the image. This sensibility now informs her practice of painting on earthenware, where the firing process gradually reveals the colours contained within metallic oxides. The earthenware surface becomes a true pictorial field, where oxide washes interact with the material during firing, producing unique depths and tonal variations that cannot be reproduced identically.

At the heart of her work lies an ongoing exploration of metallic oxides, minerals, and firing effects. Her palette is drawn directly from the earth and is composed of metallic oxide washes and minerals. Each colour results from extensive experimentation involving oxide mixtures, concentration variations, and firing parameters.

This research is enriched by the observation and collection of stones, slate, and mineral fragments. The landscapes from which these materials originate remain embedded within them and continue into the painted surface through the oxide washes. Through this process, the artist develops a pictorial language in which material, memory, and landscape take shape on ceramic tile.

Recipient of several artist residencies in France and abroad, she exhibits in galleries, undertakes public and private commissions, and collaborates with architects, designers, and publishers to integrate majolica into contemporary projects.