Anita Cerrato
Anita Cerrato, born in Milan in 1975, can surely be defined as one of the best Italian ceramicists in the field of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of “precious scars”. She originally specialized as a frame restorer in the late nineties, working for renowned Milanese workshops, such as Sabatelli e Gacarù, where she learned gilding techniques.
Drawing from her knowledge in the field of restoration and gilding, combined with her understanding of the Eastern world in general, she later specialized in the technique of kintsugi thanks to Master Iku Nishigawa, who lives and works in Oxford, and Master Sato Takahiro, based in Kyoto, where she travelled to further refine her technique. She then returned to Italy and started applying these complex processing techniques to ceramic and porcelain. Anita is the only Italian ceramicist employing the special Urushi lacquer and the 15th century Maki-e technique (lacquer), which she learned from Master Matsuda Shokan, actually using traditional tools such as fish tooth and horse tail for polishing. In her workshop, located in Milan in the Bocconi Univeristy neighbourhood, you can find large working benches upon which this Master of Arts gives a second life to precious broken items.
Even common everyday-use ceramics with sentimental value can be restored here, always utilizing gold: a metal capable of “enhancing” the fractures and enriching them. Since 2017 Anita Cerrato also offers training courses divided into different levels, starting from the basic three-hour class. Alongside her work as a restorer, for many years now she’s also had a career as a writer: her latest book is entitled “Kintsugi, un viaggio alla scoperta dell’Oriente” (Kintsugi, a journey to discover the Eastern world.)
