Ferdinandea
"Only the ghost remains of Graham's Island, known as Ferdinandea, surfaced in 1931 and immediately sunk again. Nevertheless, it inspires the art of a Sicilian artist [...]. Gulino paints abstract pictures where eruptions, escaping boats and a burning crater obsessively recur. Then underwater landscapes, swordfish dance, even an underwater theatre, symbol of the island which represents itself [...] A hidden drawing, a brush stroke where you can distinguish the profile of the island, a metaphor of mystery, of absence, of backing out". (Laura Anello, Davanti a uno scoglio scomparso, in Specchio-La Stampa, 2004)
«The island rebelled against people taking it, it recoiled the minute flags were put on it» explains Mr. Gulino, an artist who lives and works in a warren of caves, studios and ampty rooms. «I don't see it as some kind of rock but us a thinking thing», he adds, opening a plastic film canister to shake out a bit of the island's black sand. (Cristopher Emsden, Sicilian artist paints island's legs and soul, in Herald Tribune, New York, marzo 2000)