CASTANHO
author CERAMICS
by ana castanho
Ana Sofia Castanho is a Lisbon-based ceramicist whose organic forms explore personal and collective memory, femininity, and ancient reminiscence —quietly breathing through contrasts of light and shadow.
AN EXPLORATION
OF stoneware
Castanho's exploration of stoneware delves into tactile memory, translating the elusive boundary between sensation and reminiscence into sculptural forms. The inherent plasticity of clay — its capacity for regeneration and transformation —demands presence, time, and slowing down. Through this attentive practice, something intangible is captured, quietly resonating within each piece.
AMPHORAE
SERIES
Revisiting the classical form of the amphora, these pieces emerge either raw and timeworn, as if unearthed from memory, or washed in oxides, glazes and acrylic brushes — like canvases returned by the sea. They carry a quiet mythological presence, a personal reimagining of the ancient, shaped by present hands.
EMBODIMENT
SERIES
These sculptural forms arise from the embodiment of the feminine, of absence, of discovery and transformation. Their organic silhouettes balance softness and weight, holding presence with grounded strength. Openings appear as structured absences — not voids, but windows, offering subjective views that shift with their setting. Each piece is an open-chested gesture, carrying life through imperfection, care, and quiet resilience.
