Roberto Cambi (1960)
Roberto Cambi is a Milan-based sculptor, painter and glassmaker who studied at the Ballardini Art Institute in Faenza and the Fine Art Academy in Bologna. Crossing the border between art and design, his work ranges from small-scale pieces to monumental installations. Known for his original experimentation with unexpected materials, he has won several prizes and awards such as the Open Award in the sculpture section of Arte Laguna in Venice in 2014. Playful with a strong pop element, his works are subversive and inspiring.
Made from moulds of discarded plastic objects found in the street, the Clochard series of ceramics transforms things that were rejected, useless and unattractive into stunning, highly desirable collector’s pieces. Cambi’s work often contains a hint of social critique, but he is neither sentimental nor sanctimonious. For him, recycling is not a superficial, fashionable statement, it’s about making the rejected desirable, the useless useful, the unattractive beautiful. Lighthearted and ironic, the collection casts an irreverent glance at our value systems. Who but Cambi would apply gold to a plastic bottle?