Frigoriferi d'arte

Smeg & Dolce&Gabbana

Born in Catania in 1975, Alice still lives and works in the city. She graduated in Conservazione dei Beni Culturali di Pisa and then returned to Sicily where she trained in the Maestro Domenico di Mauro in Aci Sant’Antonio, the prestigious workshop of Sicilian carts. Many years before, the paths were laid for the master and the pupil to cross: for Alice the discovery of carts came from her interest in “objets d’art” and the “roots of her family”. The two of them, together with a very small circle of artists, tell the story of a world that is now distant, but not yet lost. As the only woman amongst the very few painters of carts to inherit this age-old and complex decorative art, she studies in depth the multiple aspects of the popular artistic tradition. She draws inspiration from a personal interpretation of Sicilian folklore and its traditional themes. Alongside her production of painted furniture, paintings and everyday objects, she also works in interior design, fashion and theatre, all with a subterranean vein of irony and a touch of nostalgia.

The decorations of this refrigerator pay homage to Sicilian street food culture. Tony Mellone, a real-life food vendor, appears on the front panel with his motorised cart, which replaced the traditional vehicle with the advent of the modern age. His load of fruits and vegetables is a feast for the eyes. The deliciousness of the merchandise is signalled by a slice of watermelon with a bite-shaped portion missing, clearly left by a client who couldn’t resist Tony’s offer of a taste. On the sides, the white and red radial background reproduces the typical motif of the paper wrapping used in the past to ship Sicilian lemons and oranges all over the world, while frames of citrus fruits are arranged around the ace of clubs, a good luck symbol painted on motor carts. The scenes are bordered with visuli (bricks), a decorative geometric element typical of street vendor stands. On the top is a halved orange.