
Artist Profile and Artistic Approach
Beppe Borella, born in Bergamo in 1972, is a contemporary sculptor known for his mastery in working with marble and granite. His artistic approach challenges the solidity and natural veining of stone, transforming heavy materials into visually light and playful forms. Borella’s work balances memory and reality, vision and playfulness, often destabilizing the perception of the material through irony and a distinctive lightness. His sculptures emphasize the perfection of form and harmony through repetition, creating a dialogue between pieces regardless of color or aesthetic combinations.
Initially trained as a blacksmith, Borella’s encounter with sculptor Giuseppe Uncini helped him refine his skills, especially in working with cement and iron. This experience paved the way for his transition to marble, a material he sculpts to explore shapes, surfaces, and the interplay of light and shadow. His work is characterized by a fusion of craftsmanship and creativity, using high-quality, precious marbles from various origins to produce visually and conceptually powerful sculptures that engage with Pop Art themes.
Key Series and Notable Works
Millennials Series: Inspired by the iconic oversized Lego figure, this series uses marble to reinterpret contemporary cultural symbols with a pop sensibility.
Selected Sculptures: Maximus 2024 (60x43x26 cm, 35 kg), Brickman 2024 (43x32x18.5 cm, 11 kg), Schumy 2021 (Mimosa Marble and Serena Stone, 32x18x40.5 cm, 11 kg), Philip 2024, Matteo 2024, and others, each crafted from various marbles such as Onice Fantastico, Yellow Istria, Calacatta Gold, Black Marquinia, and more.
Brick Series: Includes multiple sizes (Brick 4, 6, 8) with dimensions ranging from 16x16x10 cm to 32x16x10 cm and weights from 4 to 7.5 kg, made from marbles like Portoro, Botticino, Black Marquinia, Carrara, and Valentine Red.
Other Works: Money is Nothing? 2021 (Carrara marble), Mickey Mouse - non fatemi arrabbiare! 2024, Batman 2019 (Black Marble), Modus Vivendi 2018, and Game. No War 2018-2019 series, which symbolically transform war elements into playful objects to condemn war and promote peace.
Dondolio 2022 and Pillola series (2021-2022) showcase smaller-scale sculptures using marbles such as Red Valentine, Botticino, Sivec, Diorite, Labratorite, and Red Granite Taivassallo.
Materials and Dimensions
Borella’s sculptures are made from a wide variety of precious marbles and stones sourced globally, including Onice Fantastico, Yellow Istria, Calacatta Gold, Black Marquinia, Red France, Tobacco, Grey Brazil, Yellow Gold, Blue Bahia, Juparanà Colombo, White Sivec, Travertino, Cardoso, Guatemala Green, Ming Green, Botticino, Portoro, Carrara, Valentine Red, Mimosa Yellow, Pierre Blue, Quarzite South America, Azul Macauba, Grey Quarzite Gaja, and Red Granite Taivassallo.
Dimensions of works vary from small pieces around 12x6 cm to larger sculptures up to 71x21x10 cm, with weights ranging from 3 kg to 35 kg, reflecting the artist’s ability to manipulate heavy materials into refined, balanced forms.
Exhibitions and Recognition
Beppe Borella has exhibited extensively in Italy and internationally, including solo and group exhibitions at prestigious venues and fairs such as:
- Museo Civico della Laguna Sud Chioggia (Venice)
- Parma Capitale della Cultura 2021
- Andy Warhol and Friends, Bergamo
- Affordable Art Fair (Milan, Brussels)
- Bergamo Arte Fiera
- Red Dot Miami (USA)
- ArtExpo New York (USA)
- Galerie-Espace Le Marais, Paris
- Numerous other contemporary art fairs and galleries across Europe and the USA.
His exhibitions often emphasize the dialogue between contemporary art and craftsmanship, highlighting his unique approach to marble sculpture within the context of Pop Art and modern cultural commentary.
Summary of Artistic Themes and Philosophy
Borella’s work is deeply rooted in the exploration of materiality and form, using irony and playfulness to challenge traditional perceptions of marble as a heavy, static medium. His sculptures invite reflection on contemporary society, memory, and the playful aspects of culture, often transforming familiar symbols into monumental yet approachable art objects. The artist’s technical mastery and creative vision combine to produce works that are both visually striking and conceptually rich, maintaining a strong connection to the physical power and energy of the stone.
BEPPE BORELLA By challenging the material and dominating the veining of the stone, by playing with marble and granite, Beppe Borella, Bergamo-born artist class 1972, manages to enhance the solidity of marble thanks to his skillful craft technique: by playing with a exquisitely pop logic, the artist works on the cutting edge between memory and reality, vision and playful spirit, destabilizing the real through irony and an unmistakable touch of lightness that frees the matter from its weight. Each piece communicates with the other, regardless of colors’ combination or aesthetic sense: the materials disappear, the volumes are lightened and the mastery that characterizes the artist emerges with power and clarity, finding its raison d’être in the perfection of form and in the harmony of repetition. Contemporary art lover, Beppe Borella first approached iron thanks to his initial work as a blacksmith. The meeting with Giuseppe Uncini allows him to evolve and perfect his sculptural skills and his innate technical and creative ability, due to the realization of some massive works in cement and iron. These materials enable the fateful encounter with marble, a material capable of projecting him into a dimension of shapes and surfaces to sculpt and smooth in endless effects of lights and shadows. The perfect combination of craftsmanship and creativity allows the artist to create magnificent works with high quality raw materials, precious marbles of different origins from which he creates visual and conceptual expressions characterized by ironic and powerful forms. In a direct dialogue with Pop Art, that allows the artist to capture its most intimate, playful and captivating meaning, Borella’s sculptures push us to reflect on contemporaneity, while always maintaining the attention to the Matter that, although concealed behind a smooth and orderly appearance, manifests itself in every realization in all its power and energy. Sfidando la materia e dominando le venature della pietra, giocando con il marmo e con il granito, Beppe Borella, maestro bergamasco classe 1972, riesce a esaltare la solidità del materiale marmoreo grazie alla sua sapiente tecnica artigianale: giocando con una logica puramente pop, l’artista si muove sul filo del rasoio tra memoria e realtà, visione e spirito ludico, destabilizzando il reale mediante l’ironia e un inconfondibile tocco di leggerezza che libera la materia dal suo peso. Ogni pezzo comunica con l’altro, indipendentemente dall’abbinamento di colori o dal senso estetico: i materiali scompaiono, i volumi si alleggeriscono e la maestria che caratterizza l’artista emerge così con potenza e chiarezza, trovando la sua ragion d’essere nella perfezione della forma e nell’armonia della ripetizione. Amante dell’arte contemporanea, Beppe Borella si approccia inizialmente al ferro grazie al suo iniziale lavoro di fabbro. L’incontro con Giuseppe Uncini gli permette di evolvere e perfezionare le sue doti scultoree e la sua innata capacità tecnica nonché creativa, grazie alla realizzazione di alcuni grandi lavori in cemento e ferro. E proprio grazie a questi materiali si concretizza il fatidico incontro con il marmo, materiale in grado di proiettarlo in una dimensione di forme e superfici da modellare e levigare in infiniti giochi di luci e ombre. Il perfetto connubio di manualità e creatività permette all’artista di creare opere magnifiche con materie prime di alta qualità, marmi pregiati di diverse provenienze dai quali crea espressioni visive e concettuali dalle forme ironiche e potenti. Dialogando in maniera diretta con la Pop Art, cogliendone il significato più intimo, giocoso e accattivante, le sculture di Borella spingono a riflettere sulla contemporaneità, mantenendo però sempre l’attenzione rivolta a quella Materia che, sebbene celata dietro un aspetto levigato e ordinato, si manifesta in ogni realizzazione in tutta la sua potenza ed energia. Salizada S. Polo 2102 Venezia t. +39 041.93.47.222 / ph. +39 393.98.56.018 info@sanpoloart
Open the catalog to page 1BEPPE BORELLA The Millennials series, with its instantly recognizable shapes that recall the symbols of contemporary society and culture, is inspired by the iconic Lego figure, oversized and built with a material as hard as exquisite, such as marble. La serie Millennials, dalle forme immediatamente riconoscibili che richiamano ai simboli della società e della cultura contemporanea, si ispira all’iconico omino Lego, in misura “oversized” e realizzato con un materiale tanto duro quanto raffinato, il marmo. Marble: Onice Fantastico, Yellow Istria, Calacatta Gold, Black Marquinia, Red France, Tobacco,...
Open the catalog to page 2BEPPE BORELLA PHILIP 2024 Marble: Travertino, Cardoso, Guatemala Green, Ming Green, Botticino,Yellow Gold, Gold Calacatta MATTEO 2024 Marble: Gold Calacatta,Yellow Gold, Green Multicolor, Red Lepanto SCHUMY 2021 Mimosa Marble and Serena Stone 32 x 18 x 40,5 cm - 11 Kg Salizada S. Polo 2102 Venezia t. +39 041.93.47.222 / ph. +39 393.98.56.018 [email protected] / www.sanpoloartgallery.i
Open the catalog to page 3BEPPE BORELLA Salizada S. Polo 2102 Venezia t. +39 041.93.47.222 / ph. +39 393.98.56.018 [email protected] / www.sanpoloartgallery.it
Open the catalog to page 4BEPPE BORELLA BRICK 8 2024 Marble Portoro marble 32 x 16 x 10 cm - 7,5 Kg BRICK 8 2024 Marble Black Marquinia 32 x 16 x 10 cm - 7,5 Kg BRICK 8 2024 Marble Botticino 32 x 16 x 10 cm - 7,5 Kg Salizada S. Polo 2102 Venezia t. +39 041.93.47.222 / ph. +39 393.98.56.018 [email protected] / www.sanpoloartgallery.it
Open the catalog to page 5BEPPE BORELLA BRICK 8 2024 MarbleCarrara 24 x 16 x 10 cm - 6 Kg BRICK 6 2024 Marble Botticino 24 x 16 x 10 cm - 6 Kg Salizada S. Polo 2102 Venezia t. +39 041.93.47.222 / ph. +39 393.98.56.018 [email protected] / www.sanpoloartgallery.it
Open the catalog to page 6BEPPE BORELLA BRICK 4 2024 Marble Valentine Red 16 x 16 x 10 cm - 4 Kg BRICK 4 2024 Marble Calacatta oro 16 x 16 x 10 cm - 4 Kg BRICK 4 2024 Marble Carrara 16 x 16 x 10 cm - 4 Kg BRICK 4 2024 Marble Mimosa Yellow 16 x 16 x 10 cm - 4 Kg Salizada S. Polo 2102 Venezia t. +39 041.93.47.222 / ph. +39 393.98.56.018 [email protected] / www.sanpoloartgallery.it
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