Sculptures
Devastated by the Xylella Fastidiosa infection that has transformed the Salento landscape over the past decade, the trunks of centuries-old olive trees find new life in Miglietta’s works. Loaded with memory and history, wood gives structure to the subjects into which it is transformed: men, women, musical instruments, engines and animals.
In this collection of sculptures, nature is reborn through the dialogue between wood and iron. The organic world intertwines with the industrial one, creating works in which the material itself becomes a symbol of resilience and transformation.
Double face
Size: 194 cm
Materials: Iroko wood, iron, acrylic
Date: 2022
The statue, made of wood and iron, depicts a slender, majestic woman with her hands in her pockets and her torso slightly tilted.
The head is made of wrought iron. A play of cuts creates solids and voids, bringing to life the details of the face, the curve of the neck, and a hairstyle in which floral silhouettes are woven.
The woman’s body is carved from a block of Iroko wood. A series of irregular carved polygons form the pattern of the dress, with hints of color defining the arm and hand.
As much as it is a statue, there are only two faces of interest. The iron outline is flat, and the thickness of the wood creates a gap between one face and the other, between the crimson and gold outfit and its opposite version in beige tones. The contrast between light and dark tones, between light and shadow, is forcefully accentuated, but the sense of peace and serenity remains solid and intact on every side, never fading.
WOMAN’S HEAD
Measurements: 100 (rod) + 60 (bust) cm
Materials: iron
Date: 2020
The work, made entirely of wrought iron, represents the stylized bust of a female figure. Through a series of iron plates skillfully fitted together, a play between three-dimensionality and transparency takes shape: a delicate balance between solids and voids. The woman’s profile emerges elegantly and harmoniously, giving the sculpture a refined simplicity.
The curved lines of the plates follow the contours of the neck and torso, creating a light and dynamic silhouette. Despite the use of an industrial material such as iron, the work conveys a feeling of stillness and grace, capturing the essence of the subject with striking minimalism.
JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Orchestrina Jazz is a sculptural group of four elements: three statues (made from olive wood roots and supported by wrought iron) and a painting (made entirely of iron).
The three statues represent three musicians and their instruments: a piano, a contrabass, and a trumpet. The painting, on the other hand, serves as a narrative backdrop, enriching the scene with an element of introspection.
Each element is designed to dialogue with the others, forming a symphony of forms and materials that reflect the very essence of musical art. Iron and wood, though different, come together to evoke a visual melody, suggesting the fusion of sound and material.
Together, these works not only represent individual musicians, but celebrate the art of music as a shared experience. The Orchestrina Jazz collection thus becomes a tribute to a harmony that goes beyond sound, exploring the interconnections between human creativity and the natural world.
jazz orchestra – Quadro
Size: 128 x 243 cm
Materials: iron
date: 2020
The scene emerges from a sheet of wrought iron. A single iron wire joins the characters and mixes the bent shapes in dance, amid the notes of a small jazz orchestra. Altered characters, large noses, heads contracted in one place, animal snouts, ears, paws, crooked fingers…
The musicians blend in with the lines of the instruments they hold. Here is a violin, a trumpet, a wisp of smoke, two large rice maracas, the buttons of a saxophone, the strings of an electric guitar, the mechanics of a double bass.
Music, which unites and blurs the perimeter of bodies, energies and moods, is the absolute protagonist of this ironcloth.
CONTRABASS
Size: 220 x 100 cm
Materials: olive wood, iron
Date: 2022
The work depicts a musician intent on playing a double bass. The figure is composed of a wrought-iron silhouette that outlines the essential features of the subject. The sculptural group is fixed on a solid marble base.
piano
Size: 175 x 200 x 125 cm
Materials: olive wood, iron
Date: 2022
Carved from a 2-meter-diameter olive root (see among the photos), the sculpture was carved and shaped following the forms of a quarter-tail piano.
An iron structure supports the wood and modulates the different components of the piano: the butcher block, sound box, and feet are made of iron, while the keyboard is carved from a block of marble.
On the stool, also a combination of the two materials, the silhouette of the famous concert pianist Stefano Bollani is set to play. The pianist is rendered through two overlapping iron plates: the lower plate is painted in dove-colored acrylic.
trumpet
Size: 194 cm
Materials: olive wood, iron
Date: 2022
