"The difference between the great geniuses of history and other 'ordinary people' is not a matter of heredity, that geniuses are not born geniuses. At birth, every person possesses potential for greatness. It is one of the tragic realities of contemporary life that in most people this inborn potential remains dormant and undeveloped. My search for the reasons for this deplorable state of affairs has led me to realize that people we think of as geniuses had developed a way of "seeing" which enabled them to grasp with penetrating insight and understanding the true nature of the world around them."
A Geography of Human Life, T. Makiguchi.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am deeply interested in the ways in which systems of meaning, power, and value are constructed — and how these ontological hierarchies shape our understanding of the world. Rather than accepting fixed boundaries, my work engages with their permeability, seeking spaces of dialogue and exchange across disciplines, materials, and ways of knowing.
Rooted in a background in Human Geography and guided by the principles of Buddhism, which remains central to both my life and practice, I explore the interdependence between societies and the environments they inhabit. This relational perspective informs my approach, where confronting differing semantic and cultural frameworks becomes a means of developing a critical, situated voice — one that questions inherited aesthetic and methodological assumptions.
Ceramic processes, among the oldest technologies in human history, offer a rich ground for this inquiry. Their survival has relied on repetition and transmission, often reinforcing traditional binaries — such as surface versus form — that continue to shape the field. My practice engages with these inherited structures by inhabiting their thresholds: the liminal space where façade and structure blur.
Through a combination of traditional hand-building and casting with experimental approaches — including the integration of glazes and glass into the ceramic body or the use of kiln-forming techniques to generate interrelated ceramic and glass forms — I seek to expand the expressive potential of materials and methods.
Increasingly, I am also working with a broader range of materials on a larger scale, developing site-specific projects that further explore notions of interconnectedness, spatial memory, and material dialogue.
BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY
Antonio Fois is a London based visual artist whose practice explores the relational dynamics between material, the individual, and the territory, with a particular focus on ceramics. His work often incorporates other media and research-based methods to investigate themes linked to identity, memory, and the socio-political landscape.
Born in Sardinia (Italy), Antonio holds a degree in Human Geography from the University of Sassari and completed a MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art in London. This multidisciplinary background informs his approach to ceramics as both a material and conceptual language capable of addressing cultural and geographical transformation.
His work has been exhibited in a range of international contexts, and in 2024 he presented his research at the International Academy of Ceramics’ biannual congress in Portugal. Through installations, sculpture, and site-specific interventions, he creates critical dialogues around place, body, and material heritage.
Antonio continues to develop projects that merge artistic practice with social inquiry, with a strong interest in fostering international exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration.
MAIN EXHIBITIONS
62nd International Faenza Prize, MIC, Faenza, IT, 2023.
International Festival of Glass, British Glass Biennale, Stourbridge, UK, 2022.
Ash Ember Flame, Embassy of Japan, London, UK, 2021.
Metanoia, Cromwell Place, London, UK, 2021.
FRESH, British Ceramics Biennial, Stoke on Trent, UK, 2021.
The Power of Material: From Virtual to Physical, Design Museum, London, UK, 2021.
RCA 2021 Online Show, 2021.
Work in progress show, RCA, London, UK, 2020.
59th International Faenza Prize, MIC, Faenza, IT, 2015.
TALKS
Speaker at the 51st International Academy of Ceramics Congress with a Thematic presentation titled "Ceramics in dialogue", Alcobaça, PT, September 2024.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Museo Internazionale della Ceramica, Faenza, IT, 2024.
Fondazione di Sardegna, Sassari, IT, 2023.
EDUCATION
MA Ceramics and Glass, Royal College of Art, London, UK, 2021.
Senior Technician for the Design and Prototyping of Ceramics, FITSTIC, Faenza, IT, 2015.
MA Human Geography, University of Sassari, IT, 2012.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Ceramic teacher at Culford Studio, Workshop 305, Birch, Cultivate Artists Studio, London, 2021 - ongoing.
Teaching Placement, The Reykjavik School of Visual Arts, IS, 2021.
International Workshop Assistant and Translator, SculturaCeramica, Genoa, IT, 2017 - ongoing.
RESIDENCIES
The Glass Foundry, Stroud, UK, 2021.
Todomuta Studio, Seville, ES, 2015.
La Meridiana, International School of Ceramics, Certaldo, IT, 2015.
Päivi Rintaniemi Studio, Seinäjoki, FI, 2014.
Ana Hillar Studio, Faenza, IT, 2014.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Glass Foundry Scholarship, 2021.
Fondazione di Sardegna, 2020.
PUBLICATIONS
InfoCeramica, Antonio Fois, Cerámica en diálogo, November 2024.
Ceramics Now, 62nd Faenza Prize. The International Biennial of Contemporary Art Ceramics at MIC Faenza, July 2023.
MIC, 62nd Faenza Prize catalogue, June 2023.
Emerging Potters, Issue 25, October-December 2021.
Emerging Potters, Issue 24, July-September 2021.
Emerging Potters, Issue 18, April-June 2020.
CoCA, Royal College of Art - Work in progress, A view by Paul Bailey to the show, March 2020.
MIC, 59th Faenza Prize catalogue, June 2015.