Born in Morocco in 1960, from multiple Mediterranean origins Bruno Catalano and his family were constrained to exile in 1975. Landed in Marseille with the hope of a new beginning to his life, and yet he kept the painful memory of this uprooting. Became a sailor by the age of 18, then electrician, he encounter art and clay sculpting when he was 30 through such artists as Rodin, Giacometti, or César. He thereby decides to devote his existence to it.
Noticed for the first time in 2005 at a contemporary art fair by a Parisian gallerist, he evolves from clay to bronze, and sculpted bigger and bigger characters thereby realizing important technical prowess.
Bruno Catalano’s Travelers are astonishing bronze sculptures characterized by the absence of the central part of the body - ethereal characters able to establish a dialogue with the surrounding world before identifying with it.
The lack of material invites the viewer to complete the picture and to wonder how these figures can possibly stand by themselves. The luggage according to Bruno Catalano - who was forced to leave Morocco for Marseille - are filled with memories, life experiences but also desires and hope.
Nowadays the Travelers are part of the most prestigious public and private collections.