Nicola Bolla's Sparkling Crystal Sculptures

There’s nothing like a good dose of irony to get my attention. Make that a visually-arresting, beautiful-looking kind of irony, and I’m all ears… I mean eyes. These haunting sparkling crystal sculptures are the work of Italian artist Nicola Bolla. Mr Bolla is a medical doctor who divides his time between his two passions – art and medicine. These passions are linked in his desire to create objects of tremendous beauty that gives pleasure to the mind and senses.

Bolla is both a painter and a sculptor. His paintings portray animals and human figures painted with pigment and glitter against a flat background, usually dominated by one color. Transporting us from reality into a world of fantasy, he reminds us of our youth and a careless time. His sculptures are created with non-traditional mediums. His latest works are made with Swarovski crystals resulting in sophisticated works of art that reveal exquisite beauty, often representing the transience of human life.

From sparking toilets, to cold weapons, assault rifles and human remains, innocent and pretty Swarovski crystals have never looked more sinister. And there I was thinking diamonds were supposed to be a girl’s best friend.

Bolla has collaborated on a number of projects with italian photographer Sergio Alfredini, who documented the glamorous and menacing sculptures in the haunting surroundings.

Born in Saluzzo, Italy in 1963, Bolla currently lives and works in Torino.