Gazing at the works of self-taught Italian ceramic artist Paola Paronetto, the words fragile and delicate come to mind. Comprising flimsy-looking vessels, wonky bottles and misshapen bowls, the collection seems to be constructed from painted paper and cardboard. Despite being gathered into groups, the items give off an aura of such vulnerability that one misplaced hand could crumple the lot.
But looks can be deceiving. The artist explains: “My sculptures are made from paper clay ceramic, but are actually as robust as classic ceramics. They appear more fragile because of the ‘lightness’ that I purposefully wish to express with them, which is, I suppose, part of their charm.”
For more than 30 years, Paronetto has been using the technically demanding paper clay process to create her artworks. Having spent a decade mastering its unique parameters, she now uses it to create her artfully misshapen and lopsided artworks.
Moulded into tall vases, rounded bowls and low vessels, all carry a distinctive wonkiness that is as engaging as it is precarious. This month, for the first time, she brought her work to the UAE as part of Art Dubai with an exhibition at Alserkal Avenue.
A collection of nine limited-edition pieces was created especially for the occasion, inspired by Dubai and the UAE at large.
Paronetto explains: “I’ve always had a love of the natural world, people and different cultures, and the Emirates is part of the world I didn’t know much about, so that piqued my curiosity.
“What I learnt inspired me to dedicate this collection to the Emirates. Discovering how vibrant and rich in beauty the region is has been very stimulating, and Art Dubai seemed the perfect time to express my feelings for this beautiful corner of the world.”
The pieces are presented in pastel tones of pale pink, light pistachio-grey and faded taupe, with accents of rich gold. “The vibrant and bold spirit of the region inspired me to use colours that express joy but, at the same time, communicate the elegant and refined beauty that is found in its architecture and style. The mix of these colours with gold is a combination that I feel reflects this.”
In addition to her new pieces, some of Paronetto’s past works are also be on display at the exhibition in Dubai, including a series of larger items titled The Gigantica. Those already familiar with her work will recognise the shapes used for a recent collaboration with Veuve Clicquot.
As the name suggests, paper clay is a blend of cellulose fibres such as paper pulp, hemp, flax or linen that are mixed with clay, and when fired in the kiln, burn away, leaving no trace, except for a smooth, super-thin clay finish.
The advantage of the technique is that it offers greater strength while allowing the artist to use clay more delicately. The flip side is that it is difficult and unpredictable.
The technique is well known; however, few have mastered it
Paola Paronetto
“The technique is well known; however, few have mastered it because of its complex processes and problematic results,” she says.
Those complexities meant it took the artist a decade to perfect the technique, despite studying in Deruta, Faenza and Gubbio – three Italian cites famous for their ceramics know-how. Now, Paronetto works with her own closely guarded recipes, the result of years of painstaking experimentation.
Yet, despite the difficulties involved, paper clay has enabled Paronetto to push the boundaries of her art further than she could have imagined. “For me, it was a means to an end since I wanted to create more bold and free-form ceramics, and this technique enabled me to do so,” she says.
“I am proud to say that, through many years of trial and error, I have been able to master the technique.
“In exploring the paper clay method, I made my very first bottles and the Bottle Collection was born. From then on, I never looked back and continued to find new forms and ways to apply this complex method to realise my ideas.”
Each piece is made by hand on a potter’s wheel, using a blend of recipes on the horizontal and vertical planes to add strength where needed. Thanks to this and the vagaries of the firing process – a notoriously challenging stage of any ceramic endeavour – no two pieces of Paronetto’s work are ever the same.
I view my sculptures as animated beings
Paola Paronetto
There are themes, however. Her Circo vase, for example, is bottle-shaped with ridges around the shoulder and leans off to one side, while the Tucano vase is broader and more substantial, with a triangular funnel, resembling a handleless jug.
There are wide, low bowls that seem more akin to wobbly baking dishes, while the Ninfea set is a group of three contorted bowls in differing sizes. Her best-known series, however, is the Cartocci Collection, which consists of groups of tall, elegantly wonky forms and vessels that are now sought after by galleries all over the world.
The key to her work, it seems, is that while many of the shapes are familiar – bottles or vases – in Paronetto’s hands, they are elevated into something new.
“[My ceramics] seem to be usable objects, but I’ve always viewed them as animated figures that make up a family of forms, each one expressing itself in shape, texture and colour.”
Part of Paronetto’s vision is that her pieces exist in groups rather than standing alone, which echoes a broader view.
“They are made to be exhibited in groups because, for me, they represent all living things, including people and how we dialogue together. I view my sculptures as animated beings, and I love to see their collective beauty.”
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
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Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Bullet%20Train
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
2.30pm: Park Avenue – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Rb Seqondtonone, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
3.05pm: Al Furjan – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bosphorus, Dane O’Neill, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm: Mina – Rated Condition (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Royal Mews, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Aliyah – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,900m; Winner: Ursa Minor, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
4.50pm: Riviera Beach – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 2,200m; Winner: Woodditton, Saif Al Balushi, Ahmad bin Harmash
5.25pm: Riviera – Handicap (TB) Dh2,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Al Madhar, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Creek Views – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Al Salt, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy
Company%20Profile
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Company%20profile
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Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
More on animal trafficking
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
