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Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture Elsa Head by Vanessa Semaino

About the Item

The “Surolù” art works - this is artistic identity chosen by Vanessa Semaino - arise from the artist 's need to represent women’s condition today, particularly in their emotional states that confer their unique identities. These precious ceramic sculptures, entirely handcrafted and decorated, represent female Moor’s heads. They were conceived as an expression of an introspective journey that relates Vanessa’s Sicilian origins and to her professional experience in the fashion stylistic field. The artist introduces, for the first time, the repeated use of sociological themes of current relevance through a visually immediate language, represented in her art works with a contemporary pop aesthetic. Elsa is an artwork representing lust in the Moor’s series of heads titled “The Seven Deadly Sins.” The name of the Moor’s head represented as a “bunny” could only be Elsa, in reference to the famous model immortalized by Helmut Newton in the iconic photo for Playboy. The seductive expression of the large blue eyes glimpsed through the mask combines with the captivating pose of the tongue. The turban, although completely decontextualized, becomes one with the distinctive detail of the “bunny” ears, while still clearly maintaining its nature as a Moorish head with the typical decoration of Sicilian majolica. Despite the transgression, this artwork does not fall into vulgarity. On the contrary, the playful crown resting on one of the ears, as if about to slip off, gives it a touch of lightness and irony. Through the fusion of these elements, the artwork invites the viewer to consider how a classic Sicilian Moor’s head can be reborn in contemporary times with ironic and engaging provocation. Limited ed. of 7 pieces
  • Creator:
    Rossana Orlandi (Retailer)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)Width: 7.88 in (20 cm)Depth: 7.88 in (20 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    2023
  • Production Type:
    New & Custom(Current Production)
  • Estimated Production Time:
    11-12 weeks
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Milan, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU4398138927122

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