Paola Grizi is an Italian artist who creates stunning and unique sculptures in which faces emerge from the pages of books. The faces appearing in Grizi’s sculptures, which are made from terracotta and bronze, take on a wide range of expressions. Some have signs of struggle from their exhausting endeavor, others seem to be amazed, and some are reluctant to show themselves. However, they all aim to evoke emotion in viewers.
Grizi is an avid fan of the written word, studying Classics and Italian Literature and working as a journalist before embarking on a career as an artist. But she actually started creating her signature pieces by accident.
She initially had an idea to create a face that emerges from panels. But when she started working on this sculpture, Grizi noticed that those panels reminded her of book pages. It was at that point that she realized that this could be a great way to incorporate her love for books into her artistic expression.
“My challenge today is to bring lightness and dynamism to a static material, to thin the bronze, to set the clay in motion. My books and pages tell stories and emotions through enigmatic faces and engravings on time-worn sheets. The words are semi-legible, comprehensible only in the moment of creation,” Grizi shared in a recent interview with DeMilked.
Continue scrolling to check out more of Grizi’s unique sculptures.
