Ancient Roots is a project born from the encounter between material, time, and memory.
A dialogue between the tradition of ancient vessels and contemporary research, created exclusively from olive burl: the underground part of the tree,
unseen yet essential.

Each piece takes shape through turning, listening to the material, and embracing its imperfections.
Voids, absences, and irregularities are not concealed, but become part of the narrative, as if the vessels had resurfaced from an archaeological excavation.

The project unfolds along two paths:
vessels left in their raw, material essence—where the burl speaks for itself—and decorated vessels, where the surface becomes a narrative space.
The forms are inspired by Greco-Roman pottery and their original meanings, reinterpreted to tell contemporary stories: humanity, nature,
sharing, time, and peace.

As in antiquity, the work is divided between maker and decorator: the forms are shaped by my hands, while the stories are carefully drawn and carved by the artist Frei Fiona, based on themes and narratives conceived by me.