Mattia Barbalaco, born in Vibo Valentia in Calabria in 1999, attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome where he recently graduated in Painting with distinction.
An idiosyncratic storyteller of unquestionable technical prowess, Barbalaco immerses the viewer in a narrative where multiple strands mysteriously unfold. The artist’s childhood interests provide clues to the roots of his remarkable imagination. An accomplished puppeteer, his paintings often seem like theatre sets for his figures, complete with props, animals and birds. The action can sometimes seem baffling but there is nonetheless the sense that, however disturbing, complex or sexually-laden the atmosphere, viewers can always recognise the emotions at play.
