Alchimie Nel Vuoto

ELENA SALMISTRARO | ALCHEMIES IN THE VOID
Solo exhibition curated by Silvana Annicchiarico | Galleria Antonio Colombo, Milan | November 28, 2024 – February 8, 2025

“Alchimie nel Vuoto” is my first solo exhibition—an important and intimate milestone in my journey as a designer and artist. Curated by Silvana Annicchiarico, it opens at Galleria Antonio Colombo in Milan, a space I deeply admire for its commitment to contemporary art.

This exhibition is an exploration of the void, but not as emptiness or absence. I see the void as a creative force, a kind of primordial space where new ideas, forms, and meanings can be born. It’s a fertile silence, a pause before the explosion of imagination.

Through this body of work, I wanted to merge design, sculpture, and artistic craftsmanship, letting materials like ceramic, glass, and metal speak in new, unexpected ways. These pieces aren’t just objects—they're alchemies, tangible transformations that blur the line between the visible and the invisible, between solidity and transparency, lightness and weight.

I’ve always been fascinated by contrasts—smooth versus rough, vivid colors next to muted tones, rigid structure dancing with organic flow. In this exhibition, these contrasts are central. They create a poetic tension that invites the viewer into a dreamlike, symbolic world where everything is both present and elusive.

Each work is a kind of ritual—a personal mythology shaped by memories, symbols, and emotional instincts. I try to give form to what we often feel but cannot see. That’s why the void is so important here: it’s the space where all these layers come together and gain meaning.

As Silvana beautifully put it: “Elena reinterprets the void not as a lack, but as the starting point of artistic creation. A silence filled with potential.”

This exhibition is also a journey into my process—a moment of pause where I look back, question, and experiment. Design, for me, has never been just about function. It’s about emotion, identity, storytelling. And this show is a way to share that belief with others in a deeper, more intimate way.

I’m incredibly grateful to show this work at Galleria Antonio Colombo, and I hope visitors will feel drawn into this space of transformation—where absence becomes presence, and where matter and imagination come together in unexpected forms.