Image: Giuseppe Matteo Pappalardo, Pond Lily 028, ceramic plate, 48x48cm, photo David Russell
The Guildhouse Collections Project
Giuseppe Matteo Pappalardo
Opuntia and Olea: Stories of Adaptation
Presented in partnership with the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia
7 December 2025 — 28 February 2026
Artist Giuseppe Matteo Pappalardo examines the complex intersections of cultural heritage, ecology and migration. As an Australian-Italian artist, he draws from his lived experiences, developing new works across painting, ceramics, sculpture, installation and design. Drawing on specialisations in couture fashion and horticulture, the resolution of new works moves between hyper local and global, as he explores the cyclical (re)contextualisation of Opuntia (prickly pear) and Olea europaea (olive tree) in Opuntia and Olea: Stories of Adaptation.
Giuseppe Matteo Pappalardo, photo Lana Adams
Giuseppe Matteo Pappalardo is an Australian-Italian artist, designer and horticulturalist from Catania, Italy and now based in Adelaide, South Australia. Through the mediums of painting, ceramics, sculpture and couture design he explores the complex intersections between art, ecology and culture.
Guiseppe’s formal training includes a Diploma in Arte del Tessuto (Istituto di Belle Arti di Sciacca, 1985-1990); Bachelor Degrees in both Fashion Design and Communication (Polimoda, Florence, 1990-1993) and Set and Costume Design (Accademia di Belle Arti Michelangelo, Agrigento,1995-1999); Masters of Design (Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, 2004-2006) and Certificate III in Horticulture (TAFE, South Australia 2023).
Pappalardo has undertaken artistic residencies and presented new works in both solo and group exhibitions in multiple venues in Italy and Australia. As a designer, Pappalardo has an established practice in couture fashion with Gianni Versace; scenography and costume design with Franco Zeffirelli and as a freelance consultant and collaborator with innovative brands such as Ikea Business, Charlie Brown, Bally, Louis Vuitton, Diesel, Roberto Cavalli Home, and Versace Home.
Represented by BMG Art, he continues to develop new works experimenting across materials and specialisations; as a storyteller and provocateur inviting curiosity and contemplation through form, colour and texture.