"The mandala is a cosmic diagram which is used as a guide to meditation and prayer in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. It represents the universe in visual form and is made up of symbols enclosed by a circle. Although each mandala has its own particular characteristics, the concept and structure of the different mandala are basically the same. The creator of the mandala enters the work, concentrates on each of its phases, and as he gradually approaches the centre he absorbs the logic of its form.

According to the Buddhists, the mandala represents the process through which the cosmos was formed from its centre. The use of connected symbols represents a sort of journey of initiation which results in interior growth.
For the Buddhists the mandala may be simply mental; the physical images are only to show what forms in the mind of the artist, and are consecrated only for the duration of the religious service. After this, the mandala is destroyed by brushing away the sand which it is made of. This gesture is a reminder both of the transient nature of things and at the same time of rebirth. The destructive force is also the force which gives life.

Although the mandala belongs to the oriental tradition, the image of the sacred circle occurs in all cultures throughout the history of mankind; from the cave drawings of Africa and Europe, to Judaism and Christianity, from the shamanic culture and the native Americans, to the sacred art of the Australian Aborigines.

The symbolic and archetypal value of the mandala was underlined by Jung who used this psycho-cosmographical ritual as a therapeutic tool.
The work of Paola Paronetto can be thought of as mandala, creations of tenuous dreams, cleverly crafted in clay, that ephemeral material which fire transforms into porcelain."

Gianni Pignat