Catwoman/Afrodite Sculpture

My attention, when I make or think about a work, starts from tradition. The land where I live. I live in Palermo, Sicily, a city that gives you a lot, but at the same time asks a lot. From this city, I take inspiration for everything I think and make; for my installations, for my sculputers, which has a feel of craftmanship and tradition. In other words, I try to translate a traditional language into an international language. A superhero uniform is a typical Sicilian cart, or at least that which resembles the textures and colors of the Sicilian cart of our traditional paintings. When you look at a superhero you got the impression of watching a sculpture created by the wood of the wagon itself. The colors are yellow, red, green -- very bright colors that we often see in the countryside surrounding the lands of our cities. The painting is quite simple despite the use of oils and ancient techniques like the use of the shellac for paintng on wood. This purpose is to identify more clearly the origin -- the belonging to something. That is the essence of the Sicilian. You will recognize the Sicilian anywhere, or at least his identity as part of his DNA. Another part of my works are the “Illuminarie”, which are light installations produced and assembled during the local saint holidays. Recalling the traditional patterns of the “luminaria,” I redraw new elements which are still linked to the history of this land. For example, a lemon, a shape in the form of Sicily or a prickly pear leaf. These are designs that are inspired by the Baroque volutes that are ubiquotous in the architecture of this city. One of my works is this Sicily whose shape resembles my island that glows of Barouque lights. I imagined it for Lampedusa because going to Lampedusa I took a trip in reverse. I travelled the route of the travellers, but also of the immigrants from the sea. I thought about a light to reach, but a light that does not have a definite shape. It is a way of salvation in the total darkness of the navigation. I thought about who could not get to this light, but brought it along with. It stayed in the retina of the eye, the last picture: the light of my land, the light of Sicily.