Within my process, two forces coexist: a playful impulse to explore and experiment, and a deep interest in materials and how they transform. I approach ceramics as a living system, observing the reactions of clay, glazes, and fire, and the possibilities that emerge from their encounter.
I am Ariel Rangel, a ceramic artist born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Ceramics have been part of my life for as long as I can remember — my mother is also a ceramic artist, and growing up surrounded by studios, clay, and kilns shaped my relationship with the material from an early age. I began my path exploring a wide range of techniques, developing my practice through wheel work and handbuilding, and gradually forming a personal language that moves between the functional and the sculptural.
My work lives between the raw and the refined. I create vessels and sculptures that invite touch and contemplation, inspired by the natural environments around me — the ocean, the mountains, creatures of the earth, and the materials locally available. Classical ancient ceramic forms inspire my work and enter into dialogue with a contemporary approach to surface, texture, and glaze.
There is also a constant experimental and almost scientific curiosity within my practice: testing glazes, observing chemical reactions, and allowing chance to play an essential role in the making. Each piece carries the marks of time, fire, and gesture, revealing a slow, attentive process deeply connected to material transformation.
After graduating, I chose to move to the countryside, to the mountains of Brazil, seeking a healthier rhythm of life and a closer relationship with making. It is within this landscape that my work continues to evolve — as an ongoing practice of listening, presence, and transformation, where each object becomes a small territory between art, use, and quiet reflection.
