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©Studio Kepha
©Studio Kepha
©Studio Kepha
©Studio Kepha
©Studio Kepha

Rossella Palazzolo

Rossella Palazzolo Sculpture
Contact
Italian, English, French
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+39 3286621823
©Studio Kepha

Concrete creations

  • • Rossella is inspired by Giorgio Morandi’s still lifes
  • • She was raised in Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi
  • • She is a completely self-taught artisan

In 1963 the Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi and most memorably its ballroom were the setting for Luchino Visconti's film The Leopard. Today, while the famous ballroom may be hired for events, the rest of the house is still used as a private residence. Rossella Palazzolo was born right here, in this Palace, in the early 1980s. "Pursuing art was a natural choice," Rossella explains, "because I was born and raised in an opulent environment, full of antique furnishings and art objects." But one day, she decided to switch from luxurious objects to the most humble material in the world: concrete. She started working with this material as an autodidact: in her hands, concrete has acquired a new sense and meaning thanks to the artist's creativity. With a touch of ability and inventiveness, concrete becomes lamps, bowls, everyday household items and even sacred statues!

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Studio Kepha
  • ©Studio Kepha
  • ©Studio Kepha
  • ©Studio Kepha
  • ©Studio Kepha
Photo: ©Studio Kepha
Black concrete bowl

This bowl was produced with a mixture of concrete, glass fibre and pigments. The final dark grey colour is the result of the interaction of the elements. The mixture was cast in a shape made with acetate foils in order to get a smooth feature. The surface is sanded and then polished by hand with beeswax. The form is inspired by the oriental traditional bowl.

Height 9 cm
Diameter 20 cm

Photo: ©Studio Kepha
Concrete bowl

This bowl was produced with a mixture of concrete, glass fibre and pigment. The final dark grey colour is the result of the interaction of the elements. The mixture was cast in a shape made with acetate. The surface is sanded and then polished by hand with beeswax. The form is inspired by the oriental traditional ceramics. The bowl develops through three different levels contrasting the concave and convex of the structure, its emptiness and fullness.

Height 7 cm
Diameter 16 cm

Photo: ©Studio Kepha
Nostalghia

This table lamp made with white concrete for the base, brass for the tube of the lamp-holder, and with a fabric lampshade. The base is the result of concrete casting in a shape of wood and plastic. The form is inspired by the research of pure forms in Renaissance architecture.

Height 45 cm
Diameter 2.7 cm

Photo: ©Studio Kepha
Santa Rosalia

This is a statuette portraying Saint Rosalia, the Patron Saint of Palermo, in Sicily. This little sculpture is characterised by all its iconographic features like the roses, the skull and the bible. It is made with concrete cast in a silicone shape. The colour of natural concrete used to contrast the iconic elements of the Saint’s representation.

Height 27 cm
Diameter 17 cm

Photo: ©Studio Kepha
Zahara

This cylindrical vase is built from concrete and glass fibre cast in a shape made with acetate foils. The external surface is embossed with a relief decoration, an arabesque motif obtained using an old rubber mat as a negative. The colour is the typical concrete grey giving the vase a sculptural chiaroscuro effect.

Height 33 cm
Diameter 19 cm

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