Hugo Saby

Hugo Saby develops a form of documentary sculpture in which clay records traces: imprints, wear, and gathered raw materials. Between modules, functional pieces, and playful devices, he composes forms that bear witness to gesture and time.

After studying at the Beaux-Arts de Marseille, he devoted himself fully to ceramics at ESAA Duperré, from which he graduated in 2017. Since 2018, from his studio in Saint-Denis, he has created witness pieces based on material clues, fragments, samples, textures, that become supports for real or fictional narratives.

In parallel, he produces functional vessels with wide openings, made from composed or collected clays. The marks of tools and hands are deliberately left visible: each object retains the energy of the moment it was made.

He also designs three-color chess sets (on commission), where the squares are replaced by raised and recessed volumes, a monochrome board that reimagines the reading of the game, and a full set of 32 unique pieces. In addition, he creates plaster molds for artists and craftspeople and occasionally teaches ceramics within partner institutions.