Art is everywhere and if you don’t believe us, you just have to take a look at what different artists have done with the ashes of Etna that impregnated the entire soil of the streets and establishments.
Etnaon the Italian island of Sicilyentered eruption last weekendexpelling tall lava fountains and large black clouds of ash and smoke. It is the largest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. For the last five years it has been going through a particularly active period.
For residents of surrounding cities and towns, the frequent eruptions mean a usual battle with the layers of black ash that densely carpet streets, cars, terraces and gardens. Most spend hours sweeping dust… But some creative residents have found another use for the ash.
Works of art made from Etna ash go viral
A few years ago, some people started decorating the ash piles on their terraces. The works went viral on social networks and in the Italian press.
The artist Angelika Antonella Finocchio, from Catania, turned the ash into a giant face with wide eyes and wavy hair.
“Every time I see a bit of ash I think of all the images that can be produced,” he then told the media.
Another post on social media shows black dust forming on the Sicilian symbol known as the Trinacria with the head of Medusa in the center and three bent legs sticking out.
“And this time there are also those who have managed transform a great inconvenience such as the rain ash and lapilli caused by Etna eruption in a spectacular work of art“, reads the post.
The Sicilian artist Giulia Pulvirenti, on the other hand, created a delicate image of a mother swallow feeding its chicksunder these lines. Daniela Marino, on her side, made a tribute to Saint Agathapatron saint of Catania, on these lines.
Artists who use the volcanic ash of Etna as support
There are also local artists who make permanent works of art with the ash of Etna. Giusy Mintendi realizes works halfway between painting and sculpturewhich the artist calls “pittoscultura”.
Fusing ash and lapilli on the surface of the painting to give it a rich texture. He collects ash from his own garden and asks his friends to bring him bags full, while for larger stones he visits the volcano.
Many of his works represent to Etna itself spewing lava and smoke. “I am Sicilian, my land feeds me,” he declared to the Italian website Il Vulcanico. “My artworks are made with the lava ash of the Etna volcano. “I am like magma in continuous transformation.”
Giusy Trovato, born in Catania, also began experimenting with the black dust that covered his house. She now sells ash drawings of Sicilian themes such as Saint Agatha or heads of Moors and Moors.
