Stefania Pennacchio is a professor of Applied Arts and Material Typologies at the MADE Program, Academy of Fine Arts in Syracuse.
Born in Varese to Calabrian parents, she studied at the Art Institute and the Academy of Fine Arts in Reggio Calabria. Stefania's distinctive passion lies in ceramic experimentation, a craft she has honed through years of research and solitude in her studio on the slopes of Aspromonte, overlooking the Ionian Sea in the heart of Greek Calabria. Her work uniquely blends the native Mediterranean culture with influences from the Japanese Raku technique, creating a fusion of timeless citations and symbolism.
Throughout her 25-year career, Stefania has built her own kilns, hand-selected clays, and created her own glazes. She has collected ancient recipes of uncertain origins—perhaps Phoenician, Etruscan, or Greek—passed down by Calabrian potters and artisans from generation to generation. She learned to work the potter's wheel under the guidance of a wise master from Motta San Giovanni, where the old men still spoke Greek. Today, nestled on a Calabrian mountain with a view of Mount Etna, Stefania continues her "mystical enchantment," working daily with the fiery glow of her kilns. Her powerfully evocative works, inspired by the arcane and the feminine, have been selected for solo and group exhibitions worldwide, featured in museums, institutions, and both public and private collections.
