Nivola’s childhood in that particular land and in that particular family is the key to understanding his work.

Everything goes back to his childhood and to the child’s gaze that always marvels at the nature and life around him. Think of the ritual bread. His mother celebrated it for its enchanting qualities. The house was filled with its fragrance. Bread for special occasions in Sardinia takes on an almost religious significance and is shaped into the most elegant forms: true works of art. Sardinian women work the bread by hand at dawn with friends in the neighborhood, decorating it beautifully and with natural skill. Many of us saw Costantino Nivola kneading the clay with the same motion his mother used to mold the holiday bread. An exemplary gesture, almost mythical, to be repeated in the most solemn moments in order to beautify and enjoy life.