Frigoriferi d'arte

Smeg & Dolce&Gabbana

Biagio Castilletti was born in Ragusa Ibla in 1974. As the grandson of a Sicilian cart driver, he had a great admiration for carts ever since he was a child, and never missed an opportunity to draw them on every piece of paper within his reach. When he was twelve, he built his favourite toy on his own: a miniature cart which he decorated himself. As a teenager, he spent much of his time in the workshops of artisans creating carts. Here he learnt the fundamental skills that allowed him to open his own workshop in the town of Riposto, Catania. Biagio met the young Damiano Rotella in 2003, when Damiano was working as an apprentice in the workshop of Di Mauro and Zappalà, in Aci Sant’Antonio. Since then the professional lives of the two artists became entwined. Biagio, intrigued by the youngster’s initiative, started to visit Damiano’s workshop, giving him advice and support. This led to a friendship based on trust, mutual collaboration and a passion for craftsmanship, leading them to create a brand of quality and experience in 2011.

The decorations of this refrigerator, characterised by the prevalence of red and pink, are inspired by Sicilian cart painting in the style of Rosolini, a town in the province of Siracusa. The central panel hosts the episode of Mucius Scaevola’s brave gesture, a meticulously painted landscape and a mennula (almond) decorated with fruit and Baroque-inspired motifs. The side friezes feature the ornaments typical of the cart bed and internal sides of the cart: Tarantella dancers framed by garlands, and lively geometric motifs composed of visuli (bricks). The top repeats the motif with fruit and friezes.