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My latest collection is a homage to the Sicilian cultural wonderland with inspiration stemming from Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman and Spanish heritages. Sicily is a brilliant mix of old and new, traditional and unexpected, therefore I use the traditional Sicilian majolica techniques and adding the 24k gold features to stress and revive the beauty of this magical island. The majolica ceramics have survived for centuries and the stories they still tell us remain as vital, unique and animated as the hand-painted baroque ornamentations themselves.
My work is currently in private collections in the USA, United Kingdom, Portugal and Australia.
Salvatore BattagliaSalvatore BattagliaSalvatore Battaglia
Salvatore Battaglia
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
"Reviving the traditional Sicilian maioliche (tiles) with gold leaf features."
I am an Italian artist born in Sicily (1985), where I studied at Liceo Artistico "Diego Bianca Amato" in Cefalù to obtain a diploma of goldsmith and qualification of art master. Working as a ceramic artist, I developed skills to paint on various materials and surfaces while understanding colour and its use.My latest collection is a homage to the Sicilian cultural wonderland with inspiration stemming from Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman and Spanish heritages. Sicily is a brilliant mix of old and new, traditional and unexpected, therefore I use the traditional Sicilian majolica techniques and adding the 24k gold features to stress and revive the beauty of this magical island. The majolica ceramics have survived for centuries and the stories they still tell us remain as vital, unique and animated as the hand-painted baroque ornamentations themselves.
My work is currently in private collections in the USA, United Kingdom, Portugal and Australia.
Wescover creator since 2020
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Q&A
How do your pieces come to life? Tell us one interesting thing about your creative process?
"It takes few weeks from the start of the project to completion. I really like to challenge myself with every artwork and push my boundaries even further. I start with designing the project on my laptop whilst doing a lots of research on the majolica patterns that I will be using, the architecture and mythology. I then start sketching on canvas or a wooden board, bringing the design to life via oil paint or charcoal, spray paint and gold leaves. Most of my artworks include third dimension elements so I started working with polymer clay which has proved to be exactly what I was looking for in order to create long lasting ornaments. My favourite part though is the final artwork assembly, when all the pieces and 3-D creations are put together and your vision has finally came to the light, what a felling!"
Salvatore BattagliaQ&A
What do you want people to do or feel when they encounter your creations?
"During exhibitions, I am always trying to complete my booth with traditional Sicilian ornaments to literally transport the audience into the Mediterranean. Many people keep wondering how the tiles are made, whether they are real, etc. It is always a great discussion point as I am trying to use different mediums. To hear that they feel like in Italy, Spain or Portugal and that it reminds them of the wonderful times they had, that makes it all worthwhile."
Salvatore BattagliaQ&A
What is your favorite material to work with?
"I have been exploring various mediums throughout my practice, from acrylic, spray paint, resin to oil, but I really fell in love with the charcoal. My latest artworks combine baroque ornaments, maioliche and Greek mythology figures, which are all made by charcoal. It is such an intricate material to work with, but I really enjoy every single moment of the process. Creating the shadows and working on portraits (which I used to avoid) gave me and my practice a second breath for real! As I always say if it is easy, I don't enjoy it."
Salvatore Battaglia