Devil (Mafarrico)

Wild clay has sympathy for this Devil.

From her workshop in Leiria (Estremadura, Portugal), Andreia Pinho takes refuge from humankind to explore its most bizarre and grotesque side through wild clay.

Wild clay means that Andreia doesn't just buy her raw material or order it online. She harvests it by hand like a hidden gem in the seven corners of Portugal, venturing into secret spots we never dreamed existed.

So, what creature is this? Devil (informal). Disorderly person. Naughty child. This is a Portuguese dictionary translation for this extraordinary word: Mafarrico. But we are not satisfied with it. The essence is lost in translation.

The sound of the original word is scratchy, unexpected, rude, fun, and refers to rural mythology and all the kids we saw being baptized as mafarricos. Perhaps even ourselves. Perhaps even Andreia, the demiurgic ceramist who creates from earth and fire. Of course, she also relies on water and air to cool the pieces.

Andreia likes Lynch and Jodorowski, which are not exactly the references we are used to associating with art as traditional, calm, and discreet as figuration or pottery. For all cinephiles, the organic and the grotesque give her away. Who said art has to be comfortable? She is the closest thing there is to a punk ceramist.

Bizarre. Demonic. Unique. There is certainly an English word for Mafarrico, but Andreia's sculpture speaks for itself, from Leiria to anywhere in the world.