Yael is an Italian-born ceramic artist of North African descent. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from the European Institute of Design in Rome, and a Master of Fine Arts from San Francisco State University. In 2021 she received the Multicultural Fellowship Award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). Her work has been exhibited in Museums in the United States and Japan (Lancaster Museum of Art, Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Plains Art Museum, African American Museum, Dallas, Shigaraki-Yaki Museum) and is part of permanent collections (Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Starworks Ceramics). She has been invited to participate in gallery and airport shows (Charlie Cummunigs, Clay Akar, Companion Gallery, Department of Contemporary Art – Tampa, Atlantic Gallery, Blue Line Arts, Knoxville airport). She has been a Ceramic Artist in Residence in the United States (Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Starworks Ceramics, Contemporary Craft) and in Japan (Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park).
I create minimalist ceramic design objects for everyday use, and I design bold and stylized surface patterns featuring tessellations, optical, and geometrical illusions. Inspired by the Gestalt Theory of Visual Perception – where the mind tends to find order and logic in what the eyes see – I design abstract patterns to instigate a dialogue between form and surface, to challenge and expand perceptual assumptions when experiencing a minimalist yet complex functional design object. I integrate digital fabrication methods within my creative process, and I fire the work in wood, gas and electric kilns to advance explorations of forms, surface design, and materials research.