Biography

Enzo Sciavolino was born in Valledolmo (Palermo) in 1937. He lives and works in Rivoli (Turin), via San Martino, 11.
He moved to Turin when he was 16 years old. He attended an Art Lyceum where he met the sculptor, Sandro Cherchi (Corrente Group) who stimulated him to become interested in sculpture.
He exhibited his first works at various collective exhibitions during the years, 1957-1958-1959. He then decided to go to Paris as he wanted to have some new experiences even though the critics had spoken well about his first personal exhibition that had taken place in 1959. He stayed there for quite a long time and then decided to come back to Italy where he frequented environments in Turin that were involved culturally. In 1965 he had a personal exhibition at the Punto Gallery in Turin where he exhibited a sequence of sculptures on violent human conditions, stimulating an outcry and attracting great attention from Art Critics. In 1965 He realized the Monument to the Resistance for The Park Association “Da Giau” in Turin. In 1965 he was commissioned to design the scenery for Verga’s Cavalleria rusticana and the Livings’s, Eh? staged by Rino Sudano’s theatre company. From 1971 to 1975 he had personal exhibitions in Turin, Arezzo, Orleans where he exhibited a series of sculptures, But cruel are the times. «…From the luminous dream of the imagination to power and the sulphurous awakening of the weaponed protests... These times were cruel as both the generation’s illusions were allowed to spring up and the persecution of the clear disillusionment due to the fascist explosions in Piazza Fontana, in Piazza della Loggia, the train Italicus and the Red Brigades bombing attacks and assassinations signed by the B.R. (Nicola Micieli)».
From 1973 to 1976 he realized The Question, on the open southern Italy question, a bronze sculpture conceived extensively owing to its installation and social commitment (Nicola Micieli). A philosopher, Louis Althusser expressed his view: Pour provoquer l’immobile à sa vèritè: Le mouvement qui change tout.
And on conversing with Althusser and Pierre Klossowski, a charming and enthralling writer and painter on revolutionary utopia, the idea of a journey through water, blood, wood, the body, the ashes of the illusion in the 70’s between Che Guevara, and Pasolini in his prime, came to Sciavolino’s mind. From 1977 to 1981 the idea took shape and just like a diary, the series of Talking about materials to make a sculpture through Marat turned into works. He realized about fifteen sculptures in different materials that were exhibited at an exhibition Marat’s Masks in 1981 organized by the Turin City Council Department of Culture under the aegis of the Venice Biennale at the Unione Culturale in Turin and at a personal exhibition in Milan and in 1986 at a personal exhibition entitled A chacun son Marat at the Unesco headquarters in Paris.
A series follows on: Time and Memory or the loss of childhood (’82-’86); Fragments-Colours in marble (’87-’92); Lightness (’93-’98); Angels’ Circus (’99-2007).
In 1970 he had a big anthological exhibition at the Chiostro of Sant’Agostino in Pietrasanta, Lucca and in 1997 he had a further anthological exhibition curated by Mario Serenellini: Open bodies-sculpture gone and back again, with 40 sculptures and 40 photographs by Elsa Mezzano, Castello Malgrà in Rivarolo Canavese, near Turin.
In 1997 a monograph was published, SCIAVOLINO SCULTORE, quarant’anni di lucida passione, (forty years of lucid passion) curated by Nicola Micieli and the introduction was written by Tahar Ben Jelloun, Bandecchi, & Vivaldi Editore, Pontedera: The writer, Tahar Ben Jelloun points out the poetical affinity that draws him close to the artist: The similar perceptions they have as regards sculptural art and the great admiration he had for his “gamble aimed at volcanic sculptural research” that has achieved incredible lightness over the last few years, resulting from the increased command over his own expressive means.
In 1998-99 he realized two large scale sculptures, Tide, in marble and bronze, Park of Contemporary Sculptures, Ostellato, Ferrara and Reed bed-Monument to the Territory, in bronze, destined for an industrial area, Sipro in San Giovanni, Ostellato, Ferrara. In 1999, the Town of Rivoli devoted an anthological exhibition to him, curated by Alfonso Panzetta, Enzo Sciavolino / From commitment to poetry in perfect coherence, 50 works from 1960 until 1998 were exhibited. From 1998 until 2000 he realized In the Circle of my Life, a work that is six metres by four in marble Bianco and Bardiglio Nuvolato of the “Cave Michelangelo” in Carrara, for the Town of Collegno and it has been placed in the Park of Memory. From 2002-2004 he was involved in realizing the monumental fountain that is seven metres, in marble and bronze, The Tree of Peace, that has been placed in Piazza Martiri in the Town of Rivoli.
Since 1963 he has turned his attention, besides other things, towards art engraving and has produced over 200 plates.
From 1970 he explored the field of goldsmiths realizing mini-sculptures in gold and silver.
The materials he utilizes are: bronze, steel, wood, marble, silver, gold, terra-cotta, plexiglass.
He has had about 50 personal exhibitions in Italy and abroad. He has taken part in many important art reviews in Italy and abroad. His works are exhibited in museums and in public and private collections.
The friendships he has had with Renato Guttuso, Carlo Levi, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Louis Althusser, Pierre Klossowski, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Younis Tawfik, Vincenzo Consolo, Ignazio Buttitta, Giovanna Marini, Alberto Tomiolo, Egi Volterrani, Nicola Micieli, Maurizio Pallante, Nevio Boni, Bruna Bertolo, have been an important part of his life and for his art as well.
His whole story as a sculptor was rebuilt in 2008 in a major anthological exhibition at the Cavallerizza Reale in Turin entitled Enzo Sciavolino, 50 years of sculpture, Works 1957-2007 curated by Nicola Micieli and desired by the Piedmont region to celebrate seventy years of the artist.
Similarly in 2015 its activity of engraver is analyzed in volume Enzo Sciavolino, Works 1963-2014, General catalogue of engravings, edited by Nicola Micieli, Tuscan Editions Centre, Santa Croce sull’Arno (Pisa) and the anthological exhibition The sign, the story, the myth held by the city of Rivoli Museo Casa del Conte Verde and curated by Angelo Mistrangelo.