Mogrè ceramiche is the Workshop of the Artist, Ceramist and Art Therapist, Monica Grelli. It is located in Perugia’s historic center.
Monica Grelli began her training when she was very young, influenced by two local craftsmen, the artist Bruno Orfei and the ceramist Umberto Nicolini. They passed on to her their technique and love for sculpture and ceramic painting.
In 1994 “Mogrè Ceramiche, Ideas Factory” opened to the public for the first time with the innovative collection “Kaleidò”, which mixed tradition, design and technology: since then Monica Grelli has been expressing her poetics, producing fascinating sculptures.
Mogrè Ceramiche has its headquarters in two historic parts of the ancient acropolis of Perugia: a showroom in Via dei Priori and an atelier in Via Sant’Agata. Mogrè Ceramiche is also an interactive space where pottery workshops, book presentations and art therapy courses are offered. Furthermore, the Workshop is a historical and evocative place: it has a Medieval architectural style, enriched by the presence of an Etruscan well.
Monica Grelli’s creations are made of terracotta, stoneware and porcelain. The forms of the figures, which are mostly female with Etruscan features, can be seen from the containers, bowls or vases, which are then turned into sculptures. Her most popular creations, the “Tuffatrici” (Divers), represent women, girls and motherhood, and express empathy and delicacy. Alongside these, there are the “Incontri”(Encounters) collection of cups, in which the union of two colors generates a third tone: a metaphor about the value of encounter, exchange and relationship. The artist has also created a Ceramic and Porcelain Jewelry Line.
The values that stimulate Monica Grelli’s creativity arise from her attention to human beings, whom she carefully observes in their essence and behavior within society. Monica Grelli is deeply aware of the introverted nature of Umbrian people (which originates from the territory’s morphology, rich as it is in ancient walled villages). She creates bridges with her art and communicates, through her aesthetic sensitivity, her vision of femininity and reality.
For Italians and foreigners, visiting Mogrè Ceramiche Atelier means going back in time, meeting the artist at work, and listening to the stories that inspired her creations. Customers participate in the creative process, telling their personal stories and thus inspiring the artist. A drawing precedes the making of the sculpture: the artist draws a sketch using India Ink on paper, and while listening to the customer’s story, she turns ideas and feelings into art. In this way, visitors and artists create an aesthetic relationship that is more than a human encounter, which could also become a friendship.
