Marco Pili

He studied at the Art Institute in Oristano under Prof. Antonio Amore, earning his diploma in 1977.

He began working as a painter in 1983, initially pursuing a figurative style, which he abandoned after a few years to focus on a more abstract, informal style with a particular emphasis on his own culture.

In 1985, he began experimenting with the use of “Carasau” bread or music paper, earth, ox blood, and any other material that came to hand. For years, bread would become his favorite medium for his works.

All these materials, united by subtle interventions of tempera, oils, and pencils, are evocations

of the Sardinian land—such as sand, mud, prickly pear bark, ox blood, and orbace, the ancient fabric of shepherds made from thick woolen yarns.

Bread, however, plays a leading role. For it is, par excellence, the union of the earth’s fruit and the human hand that transforms it.

His artistic practice remains focused on the use of earth, transforming and manipulating it with exceptional skill. Various series emerge, using different types of natural earth; by combining them with just a few elements, Pili achieves backgrounds and glazes that are extremely difficult to achieve with earth pigments.

He has participated in numerous competitions—Arte Mondadori Milano, Trevi Flash Art Museum, and the Terna Prize—winning numerous awards. 

His works are part of private collections, museums, and foundations in Italy and abroad.