I Piri (Pears) print - 2022 edition

2022 limited edition print from the 2016 Wealth of the Land exhibition.

Created from the streets of La Vucciria market in Palermo 2014-2016, these prints celebrate the fruit and vegetables of the streets. The markets, established by Arabs more than 1200 years ago sell seasonal, mostly regionally grown in Sicily.

Each of the images in the show were hand drawn digital images, based on a series of photographs taken from different angles and light sources. They each took from 40-60 hours to make.

The work in Wealth of the Land was exhibited in Palermo, Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney

Limited edition print of 19
30cm x 30cm / 45cm x 45cm
Digital print on Ilford paper
Unframed

A pdf of the Wealth of the Land catalogue will be emailed to you on purchase.

Pears
According to the Pomological catalogue of the ancient fruits of Sicily* there are 65 different cultivars of pear in Sicily—far to many to document here, so this is a sample from a single visit to the Ballarò market not so far from my neighbourhood. At certain times you can get tiny pears that can be eaten in a single mouthful … some farmers still dip the stems in sealing wax … memories of keeping fruit fresh before the days of refrigeration.

* Catalogo pomologico degli antichi fruttiferi di Sicilia, University of Palermo (2008)

I Piri
Ci sunnu tanti tipi ri pira, chisti ‘i vitti a Baddarò ch’è nautru anticu mircatu di
Palermu, un tantu arrassu ru rriùni ‘unni staiu iu. ‘Nna ‘stati ci sunnu i “piridda nzòlia” ca sunnu nichi e dduci e si ponnu manciari cun sulu muccuni.

I pere
Secondo il Catalogo degli antichi frutti siciliani ci sono 65 differenti varietà di pere
coltivate in Sicilia—di gran lunga troppe da documentare in questa sede, questo è un
esempio di quello che ho visto al mercato di Ballarò, non molto lontano dal mio quartiere. In un certo periodo puoi trovare pere piccoline che possono essere mangiate in un unico boccone, alcuni contadini continuano ad intingere i peduncoli nella ceralacca. antico modo di non fare deperire la frutta.