Vanessa Bonino - Blue koi carp

In this terracotta sculpture, Vanessa Bonino captures the sinuous movement of a koi carp, elevating it to a symbol of perseverance and change. The technique of cold patination allows a vivid and layered color rendering: cobalt blue and turquoise patches seem to float on the white surface, mimicking the effect of water and the natural luster of the scales.
The work stands out for its organic and tactile modeling; the curvature of the body suggests a vital impulse, a flicker that breaks the inertia of matter. The choice to decorate the terracotta with cold pigments gives the piece a visual modernity that recalls Eastern aesthetics, while maintaining the solidity of Italian plastic tradition. It is a piece that celebrates natural harmony through a fresh and communicative artistic gesturality.
It will be shipped inside a solid enclosure with a certificate of authenticity.

Vanessa Bonino (Turin, 1992) is a contemporary artist whose current research focuses on the plastic force of maternal/sculptural matter. Trained in the cultural fervor of Turin, Bonino has evolved her eclectic style toward an original synthesis between ceramic tradition and digital languages.
Her latest works testify to deep experimentation with terracotta and glazed ceramic, where ancestral forms — such as the bull or the carp — are reinterpreted through low-poly geometries or expressively dynamic sculptures. Her stylistic signature is distinguished by the deft use of changing cold patinas and vitreous glazes, capable of transforming earth into surfaces vibrant with light and color.
Addressing themes related to nature and the metamorphosis of matter, Bonino creates works that are at once solid and fluid, inviting the viewer to reflect on the boundary between the archaic and the future. Her constant rise in the Italian contemporary art scene is confirmed by an increasingly solid presence in private collections and dynamic exhibition contexts.