Clément Covizzi, born in the 1980s, grew up close to nature, which deeply shaped his artistic sensibility. From an early age, he was drawn to sculpture and ceramics, but initially chose a path that led him toward design and the applied arts.

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It was during a trip to Asia, when he discovered Japanese ceramics and the Raku technique, that he found his artistic language. Fascinated by the philosophy of wabi-sabi—an aesthetic that values imperfection, transience, and the beauty of happy accidents—he decided to adapt it to his own universe: animal sculpture.

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For over a decade now, he has developed a coherent body of work, exhibited in several galleries in France and abroad. His sculptures are now part of private collections and appeal to both contemporary art enthusiasts and ceramics lovers.

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From the beginning, Covizzi chose the animal as the central subject of his art. Far from embracing decorative naturalism, however, he favors a pared-down, almost archetypal approach. His bears, sharks, gorillas, and felines are not realistic representations; they embody symbols, vital forces.

Each sculpture, a unique handmade piece, carries within it both raw animality and a sense of interiority. They seem at once close to us and distant, as if emerging from a collective unconscious. Covizzi does not describe the animal—he reveals its essence.

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To bring this vision to life, the artist chose a demanding process: Raku, a Japanese technique developed in the 16th century in the context of the tea ceremony. Unlike traditional firings, Raku relies on a very rapid cycle: after being fired at high temperature, the pieces are removed from the kiln while still incandescent and placed into combustible materials (sawdust, leaves, paper). The thermal shock produces cracks, texture effects, and color contrasts that are entirely unique to each work.

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This technique, which depends as much on gesture as on chance, gives every piece absolute uniqueness. No two Covizzi sculptures are alike: some display fine black veining, others coppery highlights or areas of matte whiteness.

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For Covizzi, this element of unpredictability is essential:

“The Raku process is a lesson in humility. We shape the form, we control the firing, but at the moment of smoking, it is the fire that decides. The material retains the memory of that instant. The animals I sculpt thus become witnesses to a transformation—almost a metamorphosis.”