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.

Enamel and acrylic, 60 x 151 x 68.2 cm This refrigerator, inspired by the decorative motifs of the Sicilian cart typical of the eastern part of the island, is characterised by arabesque decorations known as “cartocci” and apotropaic masks, borrowed from the iconography of Mannerism. Painted in the bottom pane of the front panel is a duel at the foot of Mt. Etna between Orlando, paladin hero par excellence, and Rodomonte, king of Algiers and Sarza. The side panels are decorated with motifs that are usually applied to the inside of the Sicilian cart: rondels with geometric wheels and the faces of the two knights are set against a background “a visuli” (coloured tiles in a wedge pattern). On the top is St. George, patron saint of knights and carters, in the act of slaying the dragon.