Francesco Ciurlia (1971) - Sculpture, Caverna - 56 cm - Wood, Prickly pear fiber and olive tree - 2024

Opera (unique) by Francesco Ciurlia

Technique: Lamp made from prickly pear fiber and olive wood.

Dimensions: 56 x 23 x 22 cm.

Authenticate with a photo by the artist.

Year of completion: 2024



Francesco Ciurlia was born in Lecce (Italy) in 1971.

Here I present an artwork that well characterizes its artistic style, Opera Unica, Lamp in Prickly Pear Fiber and Olive Tree (polished and with resin), created in 2024, measuring 56 x 23 x 22 cm., titled 'Caverna' and bearing the artist's personal catalog number 01 (listed on the authenticity certificate).

Clearly, being a real electrical lamp, it has a bulb in the center that lights up when you insert the plug into a standard 220-volt power outlet.

It is authenticated with a photo by the artist.

It will be shipped worldwide with Mail Boxes Etc., with excellent packaging for 100% safe delivery.

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Extended biography

Francesco Ciurlia was born in Lecce (Italy) in 1971.

Born and residing in the province of Lecce with his wife and daughter, after completing technical professional studies, he began working in the healthcare field, but his true passion has always been creating.

In a room of an apartment on the fifth floor of a large building, during a work period spent in Modena, bored and with his heart and mind in his beloved Salento, he begins working with natural materials from his cherished land. He decides to transfer the love for what he left behind and his thoughts into handcrafted items made using prickly pear fiber and olive wood.

What is dead and useless to many is, for Francesco, the beginning of life, an outlet for sensations and emotions. Gathering the fiber of the prickly pear while wandering through the countryside of his country, testing its usefulness for what he wants to create, is a moment he considers healing from stress and everyday problems.

Finding an olive tree trunk, imagining how it could be accompanied and tied to another element of nature, and then realizing what one has imagined is like giving life to a part of oneself. Working with prickly pear fiber is not easy: giving it hardness, shape, or color without losing its primary essence is a challenge that the artist faces with pleasure and dedication, always experimenting with new techniques.

What is now useless for many is for Francesco the beginning of a new life, an outlet for feelings and emotions. Gathering prickly pear fiber while wandering through the countryside of his country, testing its usefulness for what he wants to create, is a moment he considers healing from stress and life's difficulties.

Finding an olive tree trunk, imagining how it could be paired and tied to another element of nature, and then bringing that vision to life is like giving a part of oneself to the world.

Working with prickly pear fiber is not easy: imparting hardness, shape, or color without losing its primary essence is a challenge that the artist faces with pleasure and dedication, always experimenting with new techniques.

Whether it's creating a painting, a lamp, or a knick-knack, what matters is the dialogue that is created with the work, and detaching oneself from it is never easy.

What is born by chance and necessity is now appreciated and considered unique by those who ask the artist to create a work, and the uniqueness of the materials, never identical to each other, could not be viewed differently.

In all the lamps, the base material used by the artist is fiber manually extracted from the prickly pear plant and olive wood, treated with single or double layer epoxy resin, and acrylic paints.

The paintings are made on canvases with a wooden frame, worked with prickly pear fiber, paste stucco, acrylic colors, and fixative.