Rossana Orlandi Gallery Inloco Open Storage at Nomad Capri 2024 - Courtesy of Nomad Circle.

Rossana Orlandi Gallery at Nomad Capri 2024 – Courtesy of Nomad Circle.

Design & Crafts – Once upon a time, a beautiful girl from Palermo fell in love with an Arab guy… So it begins one of the legends behind the Sicilian Moorish head vases, traditional ceramic vessels hand-decorated with vibrant colours. Such ancient craft, dating back to the 18th century, has been revived with a tongue-in-cheek twist by Sicilian artist and fashion designer Vanessa Semaino. Her irreverent female Moorish heads wink, blow kisses, lick their lips, and take selfies.

Elsa, female Moorish head vase by Viviana Semaino - Photo by Regina Volkova, Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

Elsa.

Named Elsa, Chiara, Rosalia, Addolorata, and more, the eclectic designs blend heritage with a pop visual language. Craft techniques were reinterpreted through the glamorous lens of fashion. The pieces were shown at the UNBOXING exhibition by Rossana Orlandi Gallery at the Nomad Capri showcase earlier this month. [Read more about it!]

Franca, female Moorish head vase by Viviana Semaino - Photo by Regina Volkova, Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

Franca.

“The female Moorish Heads project was born during a period of introspection” Vanessa Somaino told Archipanic. After a career as a fashion designer in Milan, she moved back to her beloved Messina in Sicily to rekindle her roots.

Chiara, female Moorish head vase by Viviana Semaino - Photo by Regina Volkova, Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

Chiara.

“Every artwork tells the story of a provocative woman. Through gestures, details and decorations, it gives her voice and narrates her identity. The Seven Deadly Sin theme combined with Sicilian culture allowed me to play with irony while addressing women’s inequalities and challenges in contemporary society.”

Rosalia, female Moorish head vase by Viviana Semaino - Photo by Regina Volkova, Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery

Rosalia.

Elsa, for example, incarnates Lust and is dressed like a Playboy pinup, nodding to women’s sexual objectification. Chiara and Franca represent Envy and the insane pursuit of perfection, which causes toxic competitiveness in a social media-driven world. Viviana, a.k.a. Greed, is insolently luxurious to highlight the social and economic divide. Rosalia, Gluttony, points to the disparity between beauty expectations, class, and hype rowing against individual personality.

Viviana, female Moorish head vase by Viviana Semaino - Photo by Regina Volkova, Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

Viviana.

Virginia and Adolorata impersonate Wrath with a more contemplative attitude. They speak out about depression and violence against women, but also “our anger and frustration in an unjust world“. At Nomad Capri, Semaino presented other female Moorish head vases unrelated to the Seven  Deadly Sins theme, including a cheeky Eva about to bite an apple, an extroverted Iris biting her plump lips, and Grimilde who seductively smokes from a cigarette holder.

Eva, female Moorish head vase by Viviana Semaino - Photo by Regina Volkova, Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

Eva.

Each female Moorish head is rich with details, from make-up to jewellery and fashion accessories, as well as logos by renowned brands. “Facial expressions are pivotal,” Vanessa Semaino told Archipanic. “They add an ironic and provocative twist triggering reflection.”

Grimilde, female Moorish head vase by Viviana Semaino - Photo by Regina Volkova, Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

Grimilde.

All photos are by Regina Volkova courtesy of Vanessa Semaino, unless stated otherwise.

Iris, photo by Regina Volkova.

Viviana Semaino portraided by Regina Volkova, Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

Vanessa Semaino portraited by Regina Volkova.