Porcelain takes on the appearance of fur, feathers, skin and scales in the work of Cécile Fouillade.
Fascinated by polar regions and the wildlife of the Far North, the French ceramic artist develops sculptural forms in which a mineral material seems to acquire an animal presence. Thousands of gestures, modelled and assembled by hand, transform porcelain into intricate organic surfaces — delicate in their construction yet powerful in their physicality.
Fouillade originally trained in graphic design before turning to ceramics in 2016, completing a Brevet des Métiers d’Art and later continuing her training at the Maison de la Céramique de Dieulefit in 2018. She founded her studio, Siqou Porcelain, in 2019.
Between 2019 and 2023, a series of maritime expeditions to Greenland, Norway and Iceland became decisive to her practice. Arctic landscapes, encounters with Indigenous communities and close observation of animals led her to investigate the textures of the living world and the ways in which they might be translated through porcelain.
Rather than representing animals literally, Fouillade evokes their physical presence through surface, repetition and touch. Her sculptures bring the fragility of porcelain into dialogue with the resilience of the creatures and environments that inspire them, reflecting on the increasingly vulnerable relationship between human beings and the wild.
Selected exhibitions with SM Bureau
Silent Structures, Paris, 2026
Available works upon request.
