Matteo Ciffo - Reliqua - Apollo

- Contemporary sculpture by Matteo Ciffo (Italy - 1987). Title: Reliqua - Apollo
- Year 2026. Edition no. 1/40 - Signed and authenticated by the artist, with certificate of authenticity
- Material: Cold fusion of marble and stone powders
- Excellent condition



RELIQUA Collection

Reliqua is a collection of sculptural objects that explore the relationship between matter, memory, and essence. Each piece presents itself as an eroded monolith, marked by time, that houses inside it a fragment of classicism: a face, an anatomical detail, a presence suspended between ruin and sacrality. The work functions as a symbolic and functional container capable of receiving what is not visible: memories, emotions, scents.

The collection originates from the concept of relic: objects that traverse time, bearers of meaning and memory. The monolithic form recalls the archetype of stone, an elemental and eternal element, while the surface erosion suggests the passage of years, the action of natural agents, and the continual transformation of matter. The inset classical fragment becomes a testimony, a residue of beauty that endures and reappears. On the edge between protected, hidden, and trapped

Reliqua is conceived as a hybrid object between art and design:
- container of liquids essences or perfumes
- diffuser for environments with reeds
- symbolic custodian of personal memories
- decorative element with a strong tactile impact
Each function is secondary to the evocative value of the object, which invites an intimate and personal relationship.

Each piece produced in 40 editions, is nonetheless unique: color variations, imperfections, and marks make every Reliqua unrepeatable.






MATTEO CIFFO

Born in Biella in 1987, since 2007 I have developed a research focused on matter, its transformation, and the memory it preserves. My work arises from a direct relationship with noble and complex materials such as marble and stone powders, natural pigments, Armenian earths, oxides and metals. I do not consider them simply expressive tools, but living presences, bearers of time, memory, and the possibility of rebirth.

Through a process that I consider more ritual than sculptural: a rebirth of stone guided by my hand. The practice stems from observation and the desire to restore life to what has been shattered, abandoned, or forgotten. Fragments and scraps, often coming from the work of other sculptors, become the original matter for my works.
These are materials that already carry a story within them. I deconstruct and recombine them, generating forms that no longer belong to their previous state, but to a new condition. Each work emerges from a fragile balance between loss and rebirth, between memory and possibility, making visible the moment when matter ceases to be what it was and becomes something else.

The path takes the form of a transformation that surpasses traditional sculpture, approaching an almost alchemical dimension. I use materials that have already lived, decompose and recombine them to generate new forms and identities. Each creation arises from a tension between destruction and regeneration, between loss and memory, rendering visible a continuous state of change.

The research engages with materials that embody a deep contradiction: seemingly eternal and indestructible, yet sensitive and vulnerable. What seems immutable reveals an unstable nature, capable of reacting, oxidizing, and transforming over time. This condition makes matter an active part of the work, involved in a constant dialogue with time and the environment.

Perfection gives way to fragility, and eternity manifests as a living, human experience. Matter is not subordinated, but becomes co-author, preserving on its surface the traces of gesture, process, and its own evolution.

Self-taught, I have built my path through experimentation, observation, and listening. The approach is not aimed at control, but at accompanying the material in its transformation. The resulting forms reflect the functioning of memory: structures in which fragments, traces, and absences coexist and regenerate. This practice explores matter as a living archive. The sculptures emerge as suspended presences between ruin and rebirth, between permanence and transformation, restoring to matter a deeply contemporary and human dimension."} }{