Carmelo Sciortino, Sculpture "the Family", Composition Assemblage, 2001

The work, entitled "The Family", is composed of an assemblage of heterogeneous, largely antique materials chosen for their material and symbolic significance. The central element is an ostrich egg, symbolizing fertility and birth. This naturally fragile object is held upright and supported by a rigorously constructed structure.

The column is composed of antique necklace beads, lapis lazuli and malachite beads, as well as Caror ceramic elements, whose smooth, dense surface contrasts with the diversity of the surrounding textures. Halfway up, a collection of small cabochons adorned with family portraits, dating from the late 19th or early 20th century, forms a circular crown. These miniature faces introduce a discreet, fragmented, almost anonymous human dimension, integrated into the logic of the assemblage rather than expressive.

The entire piece is presented under an antique glass dome, resting on a blackened wooden base from the Napoleon III period. This protective and distancing device reinforces the idea of constraint, preservation, and control, central to Sciortino's work. Materials from different origins and periods are thus brought together in a coherent structure, where each element is held in its place by the rigor of the assembly.

Perfect condition, created in 2001.
Overall dimensions: 60 × 26 cm.

Biography: Carmelo Sciortino's sculptures compel us to look at what, whether we like it or not, constitutes a part of ourselves. Born in 1957 in Montegnée, Belgium, Carmelo Sciortino is a creator of mysterious objects. He crafts his works like precious mosaics. They are rare, almost ritualistic objects, composed of multiple fragments: ceramics shaped by the artist, shards of glass, beads, cabochons, precious or semi-precious stones, and small objects found and chosen for their symbolic significance or singular brilliance.

Sometimes displayed under glass domes, sometimes left free, these elements form a secret language, patiently assembled. His work, of extreme meticulousness, stems from a total commitment: a dizzying labor, close to perfection, where each fragment finds its precise and necessary place.

Discreet in his career as well as his public presence, Carmelo Sciortino has nonetheless exhibited in numerous prestigious venues. Among them is the FAO headquarters in Rome, an iconic building housing an exceptional collection of works by internationally renowned artists, brought together as major cultural testimonies. At the very heart of the entrance hall of this solemn place rises "Tree of Life", one of his major works: a monumental sculpture composed of more than 17,000 glazed ceramic elements, meticulously crafted and assembled by hand.

Like an obelisk, or almost a motionless fountain, it commands attention with its verticality, its presence, and its silence. Both immense and exquisitely delicate, it immediately captures the eye and commands respect. Placed at the center of the space, it does not merely engage in dialogue with the other works: it unites them, almost dominating them, like a tutelary figure. In this context of international artistic excellence, Carmelo Sciortino's piece asserts a singular authority. It embodies an absolute mastery of accumulation, rhythm, and material, making the artist not only a peer among the greats, but a major figure in contemporary sculpture.