Sublimateria, the artistic practice of Italian mixed-media artist Elisabetta Galli, brings a tactile, material-driven approach to contemporary art. Launched in December 2025, the project has already been shown in Rome and Milan, as well as in international virtual galleries. Its guiding idea, summed up in the tagline “La Materia prende Forma” (“Matter Takes Form”), is that raw material can be elevated into a distinctive artistic expression.
A Practice Built on Transformation
The name Sublimateria joins two ideas: sublimation, the passage from one state to another, and materia, the Italian word for matter. Each artwork treats the creative process as a metaphor for human potential, in which rough, unrefined matter is gradually transmuted into something expressive.
The works are built from layered, textured surfaces on canvas and wood. Galli combines plaster, volcanic stone, graphite, clay, gold ink and gold leaf, recycled cardboard and resin. Acrylic paste, silicone rubber, sand and lapilli (small fragments of volcanic rock) add further depth and relief.
Where Structure Meets Fracture
Thematically, the paintings explore the tension between opposites: structure and fracture, entropy and syntropy, essence and form, balance and transmutation. These tensions appear on the surface itself, where smooth planes meet cracked textures and metallic accents catch the light against raw, earthy tones.
The experience is meant to be both visual and tactile. Through the use of raw and recycled materials, the work invites viewers to engage with it physically as well as visually and to respond to it emotionally.
The Artist Behind the Work
Elisabetta Galli brings an unusual combination of backgrounds to her art. She is a clinical psychologist and coach with more than 30 years of corporate experience in leadership roles. That experience with human behaviour, change and potential shapes how Sublimateria approaches its subject matter. The artworks work as visual reflections on growth, resilience and inner change, themes Galli has observed closely in a professional context.
Exhibitions and Visibility
Sublimateria’s works have been exhibited at Galleria Barattolo in Rome in April 2026 and at Arrival Gallery in Milan in May 2026, and in international virtual galleries. The practice has also been featured in publications including 100 Artisti d’Italia and Spreads Magazine.
For collectors who prefer a more personal setting, the project offers “Sublimateria at Home,” a format for private viewings and sales. Galli also accepts commissioned works. The project serves audiences in Italy, including Rome and Milan, and in Spain, particularly the greater Madrid area. It also reaches international audiences through online and physical exhibitions.
Artistic Significance
Sublimateria sits within the wider field of contemporary mixed-media art, where material choice is part of the meaning. By working with volcanic stone, recycled cardboard and resin, Galli ties a conceptual theme, transformation, to a physical one: the surfaces carry the visible history of their making. For art enthusiasts, collectors and interior designers, the result is a body of work that rewards close, repeated viewing.
Explore the Work
Readers who want to see the artworks, learn about the materials and techniques, or read more about the artist can visit the official Sublimateria website, where the collection and the project’s background are presented in full.
Visit the official Sublimateria website to explore Elisabetta Galli’s mixed-media artworks and discover how matter takes form.
About Sublimateria: Sublimateria is the artistic practice of Elisabetta Galli, an Italian clinical psychologist, coach and mixed-media visual artist based in Bernareggio, Italy. Her textured works in plaster, volcanic stone, graphite, clay, gold leaf, recycled cardboard and resin explore transformation, structure and fracture, and the human experience. Her work has been exhibited in Rome, in Milan and in international virtual galleries.