Magna Graecia - Man Stool ceramic orange / Terracotta - Seletti

Designed by Antonio Aricò, the ''Magna Graecia'' collection of terracotta objects revisits in a cartoon style the Greek relics of southern Italy. Imbued with Mediterranean culture, Antonio Aricò worked around the world before returning to Calabria where he grew up. Greek culture is very present in this region full of statues and objects. In some villages, a derivative of Greek is still spoken, more than 2500 years after occupation. With ''Magna Graecia'', Antonio Aricò interprets this Greek heritage using terracotta, all with a fun, contemporary feel. ''Magna Graecia'' reflects an image that’s more Mediterranean than Calabrian. It refers to the Great Greece of Antiquity, as well as the Roman emperors, to Sicilian traditions such as the Testa di Moro. To create the many pieces in this collection, the designer accumulated many drawings which he transcribed in volume using 3D software. The features of these drawings were subsequently replicated identically in terracotta. Antonio Aricò: “This is the first time in my career as a designer that the final pieces are exactly what I designed. We find in it modernity, but also the purity of traditional manufacturing. Above all, I didn't want to make replicas, souvenirs. These modern pieces have been designed in a playful spirit, which perfectly aligns with Seletti." The pieces are decorated with familiar designs of Doric and Ionian columns, wave patterns, and more erotic designs, like those found on antique vases. Among the key pieces in the collection, many busts and statues sculpted in reference to Antiquity inspired by the "Bronzes of Riace", statues of warriors from the 5th century BC, still surrounded by many mysteries. The designer created feminine figures: women and men are thus mixed, as in Greek culture, in a certain gender fluidity. Regarding the choice of terracotta, the designer explains: “I grew up in a carpentry workshop and I love wood, which is my favourite material. Terracotta is the same colour but more expressive in its plasticity. I love the 'nude' aspect of this material, which gives a sense of purity but isn't white, it's warmer." "Magna Graecia" recounts ancient history which, through Seletti, finds its own way of working into modern day-to-day life with irony and grace.