Sketch of the Eleos sculptural cycle, 2024

Alberto Criscione  

Born into an artistic family, he learned the fundamentals of sculpture in the workshop of his father, Giuseppe, an internationally renowned nativity-scene artist.

He began working at a very young age, creating monumental projects such as Stations of the Cross and museum scenographies throughout the province.

After more than ten years working in the field of Sacred Art, he decided to turn towards Contemporary Art and embark on a new path of experimentation. Between 2008 and 2014, he met numerous master ceramicists and sculptors throughout Italy and in Denmark, learning new techniques including stoneware and porcelain working, large-scale ceramic firing, lost-wax bronze casting, wood carving, and molding with synthetic resins.

These experiences led to the creation of the , a series of dreamlike sculptures representing a decisive departure from his early work. The series was featured in the Mondadori art magazine, in its September 2009 issue.

After settling permanently in Palermo, in 2015 he exhibited , a project inspired by ancient Greek theatre and reinterpreted in relation to contemporary society, in a solo exhibition at the neu [nòi] space.

Building on , he reinterpreted the myths of ancient Greece and created a contemporary version entitled . The project was exhibited in October 2016 and again in June 2017 as part of the group exhibition , first at XXS Aperto al Contemporaneo in Palermo and subsequently at Costantini Art Gallery in Milan. In 2018, was presented once again at neu [nòi], at Palazzo delle Aquile, for the exhibition , and at the historic church of Santa Maria dello Spasimo.

He was subsequently selected for the artist residencies organized by MABOS – Museo di Arte nel Bosco della Sila, where he created the life-size sculpture, a reinterpretation of the final battle of the hero Achilles.

In 2019, he participated in FACE in Reggio Calabria, where, together with artist Angelo Gallo of Camera 237, he created a holographic sculpture for the series.

In the autumn of the same year, he presented his new series of sculptures, at the Church of San Bartolomeo in Ragusa Ibla.

In 2024, he created the sculptural group, which was accompanied from its earliest stages by an extensive research project conducted by art historians. Their subsequent contributions formed part of the critical essays published in the catalogue, edited by Ex Libris, which documents and accompanies the entire project.

The group takes its name from the Greek concept of mercy and compassion, understood as fundamental principles of human coexistence. Conceived as a collective and monumental statement by the sculptor, the work serves as a visual testimony against war, forced exile, and the plight of refugees.

The group was exhibited at the Municipal Historical Archive of Palermo and subsequently in Agrigento, at the Diocesan Museum and the Church of San Pietro, as part of Agrigento Italian Capital of Culture 2025.

He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, and his works are held in galleries as well as public and private collections.