Supermina
Valeria Vaccaro
2025
white marble and inks
25 superminas 7 cm x 7,5 cm x 85 cm
3 superminas 15,5 cm x 13,5 cm x 170 cm
Valeria Vaccaro’s sculpture group “Supermina” consists of oversized coloured pencils. 25 are with a hight of 85 cm smaller than the version of three larger ones with an extend of 170 cm. For their presentation, the number and the context could be changed, which allows various installations. Executed in white marble and completed with coloured inks, they closely resemble to the smaller model of crayons by the Italian brand “Giotto” with the same name.
“Supermina” arises as a continuation of the artists series about childhood from 2015. Here she created furniture and play equipment and titled the ensemble “That which remains”. However, the infancy relicts from the former series witness their decline by traces of fire, whereas these marks are missing in the present sculpture group. Though, the pencils show that they are “used” by the darker colouration of the sharpening area around the tip of the pigmented core. Even more striking are the proportions: unlike the new bought crayons “Giotto”, which are fairly long (almost 1:24), the relation between diameter and length is smaller in the artwork (c. 1:11/1:12,6). Hence, another hint that Valeria’s Superminas are already “used”. These traces of decline could be references to a melancholic look back to an irreversible lost period, like in the former series. Nevertheless, the friendly colouring also could hint to a warm souvenir of her own childhood. “Supermina” might be the expression that the positive recall continues to influence Valeria’s artistic work and life.
Also, the artist’s choice of coloured pencils by the brand “Giotto” as model, is a reference to her personal childhood. At this time, she used to live in a street called “via Giotto”. However, the street name is a reference to the Proto-Renaissance artist Giotto di Bondone (c. 1267 – 1337). Since the painter, mosaicist and architect is recognised as decisive for the development of Italian painting of the early renaissance, many streets in Italy carry his name. Due to his prominence, the Italian multinational company F.I.L.A. (Fabbrica Italiana Lapis ed Affini) has chosen him as patron for its brand. Even though his oeuvre contains mainly painting, he is renowned for the brightness and clarity of his colours. Thus, the connection to coloured pencils.
Besides other models of crayons and pencils, F.I.L.A. offers the product line “Giotto Supermina”, which is characterised by an extra-large pigmented core (3,8 mm instead of 3,3 mm) and golden coloured contours. Valeria took both features into account. However, title “Supermina” doesn’t only derive from the model, but also refers to the material of the sculpture group: marble. By the artists use of this precious material, the final artwork has a super core (= super mina in Italian). Regarding this play on words, Valeria has chosen the name. At the same time, the presented oversized pencils are super-large. Therefore, the title could also be an allusion to the exceptional size.
During the whole summer season 2025, the 25 plus 3 superminas had been installed in the beach resort “Alpemare”, owned by the family Bocelli in Forte dei Marmi. The name of the village descends from the fortress built under the later Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, and the famous marble of Carrara from the nearby Alpi Apuane. The precious material was shipped from the harbour of the village. In consequence, the exposition of Valeria’s marble sculptures was somehow appropriate to the location.
Valeria Vaccaro
Born in 1988 in Turin, Italy, Valeria Vaccaro went to the Fine Arts High School in her hometown, which she concluded in 2007 with a diploma. Then, she studied sculpture at the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti, also in Turin. During this education, she was granted two additional trainings: “La sQuola” in Biella in 2010 and a Master Class in visual arts and design by La Biennale di Venezia in 2012. After her diploma at the Accademia in 2013, she worked for one year in the artist studio of Fabio Viale.
Early, in 2005 she presented her works to the public. Since this time, she participated in many group shows and art fairs, first primarily in Italy. With the itinerant Biennale Jeune Création Européenne (JCE) from 2013 to 2015, her creations travelled throughout Europe, with shows in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Spain and Portugal. She won a special mention from the city of Turin for the occasion of the 2017 Art Prize CBM. In 2022, she was granted with the second place of the VAF Foundation Award in Kiel, Germany, followed by participations in Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Grece and the United States and several solo shows in Italy. Until now, her last personal exhibition in 2025 was “It’s Break Time”, at the beach resort “Alpemare”, owned by the family Bocelli in Forte dei Marmi in cooperation with the gallery Daniele Comelli, Genova. Here she presented “Supermina”, a sculpture group of oversized coloured pencils, which is our Artwork of the Month / October 2025.
Valeria explores in her hyper-realistic oeuvre mainly fire and combustion, even though she only depicts the impact and does not work directly with the often destructive element. For her, fire is rather a purifying matter of inspiration, which transforms material. Interesting from this point of view is that her feedstock is a relatively fire resistant one: Carrara marble.
The artist transforms the white stone into seemingly other materials. Often, she features items of everyday use, such as candles (our Artwork of the Month / December 2022), matches, transport boxes, furniture or as in our Artwork of the Month / November 2019 EUR-pallets. By processing the marble and painting it afterwards, emerge objects that portray the models perfectly. Common to most of these natural reproductions is that they carry traces of combustion, but the flame remains invisible. Herewith, she freezes a single instant between ideal condition and disintegration, to deliver it to eternity. A special appeal in these sculptures lies in the contrast between the simulated materiality and the real one.
Valeria lives and works in Turin.