Manuela Dalle

French artist Manuela Dalle graduated in political science and sociology, she works primarily in two media: film and ceramics. Her work has been shown at venues including MOCA Los Angeles, Opéra National de Paris, Fondation Luma, the San Diego/TijuanaTwin Cities Year of Design, Toronto's Black Film Festival and Hauser and Wirth Gallery among others.

Apart from a few objects that she continually remakes to find their ideal form (bedside table and carafe), her work is essentially focused on the design of murals and bas-reliefs. In this work, she explores the notion of composition and the relationship/circulation between different elements which, once assembled, create a unity. Inspired by Art Deco architecture, her mural creations are essentially based on building details and iconic motifs, like a cinematic zoom that provokes a change of scale. The shapes revealed are rendered organic and free by reinterpreting them freehand.

She describes her work as choreographic, freely articulating dance elements, drawing on image and matter, with architectural rigor and organic interpretation, to invent new forms.

I am a ceramic artist working at the intersection of art, design, and architecture. My practice focuses on large-scale pieces, wall murals, and outdoor installations that explore the relationship between structure and organic form. I draw inspiration from nature — especially vegetal shapes — as well as architectural influences, including Art Deco and 20th-century South American modernism.

Clay is central to my process — a living, responsive material that carries memory and evolves through time. I approach each piece as a dialogue with the material, balancing intention and spontaneity. I’m particularly drawn to site-specific and custom projects that allow for a deep connection with space, scale, and context.

Rooted in handcraft and influenced by the great French ceramists of the 1950s, my work is driven by form, emotion, and presence — rather than function — and seeks to create lasting, physical encounters between matter and place.

Artiste statment