Mateo Aranda sitting on a stool in his art studio in Brussels, holding a sculpture. The background features shelves with various art pieces and supplies, and several sculptures on top of the shelves.
I am a ceramic sculptor originally from Guanajuato, Mexico (born in 1982), now based in Brussels, Belgium. My work is mostly figurative, but I often abstract certain elements within the composition. I like to combine and adapt forms such as bodies, rocks, animals, and utilitarian objects.
I work with stoneware, building each sculpture by hand. I intentionally keep the process minimal, using only essential tools and a simple setup to stay independent and focused. My creative process usually begins with a general idea, but I leave the details a bit open. I pick a starting point and let each step guide the next, shaping the piece intuitively until the composition feels balanced and visually pleasing.
In my practice I primarily use coil and slab construction, with modeling tools like mirettes, brushes and sponges. For the last part of the process I glaze and fire the pieces at high temperature.