Antonino Sciortino

Antonino Sciortino is an artisan and designer who has reinterpreted the ancient craft of ironworking into a highly personal language. Born in Bagheria, in Sicily, into a large family, he began learning the blacksmith’s trade at the age of eight in his brother’s workshop while studying dance in Palermo, and worked as a dancer and choreographer until 2003.

He then moved to Milan and, within the circle of the Compagnia del Giardino, began the research that defines his work: objects, furniture, sculptures and lamps made from ‘filo cotto’, a pliable iron wire that allows soft lines and dancing shadows. He calls the result a ‘minimal baroque’; recurring pieces include the parrot nicknamed Pierluigi, the owl and the ‘tonno subito’, inspired by Sicilian memories. The workshop is in a courtyard of a former industrial area at via Savona 97, Milan.