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 oil, 60 x 151 x 68.2 cm The decorations of this refrigerator are a tribute to the art of ceramics and the exquisite ‘red figure’ vase painting that was imported to Sicily by the Greeks in the mid-8th century BC. Just like the Sicilian cart, the art of ceramics is a form of expression that everyone can understand, that gives voice to the popular imagination. The three panels feature three episodes from the life of Ulysses: on the front, the hero has himself tied to the mast of a ship so as to not succumb to the sirens’ song; on the sides are Polyphemus climbing the rocks that would give rise to the sea stacks of Aci Trezza, and Penelope, weaving and unravelling the shroud while awaiting her husband’s return. The trinacria, ancient Greek name of Sicily which means ‘three promontories’ and refers to the island’s triangular shape, is featured on the central upper register. Painted on the top is an octopus.