Mattia Barbalaco

Silent, suspended atmospheres populated by enigmatic figures, animals, and arcane symbols—masked and hooded faces, subjects with sacred or fairy-tale-like features, captured in everyday actions—are the protagonists of Mattia Barbalaco’s paintings (Vibo Valentia, 1999).

The dreamlike dimension, fantastical mythology, and the artist’s background as a puppeteer create a surreal imagery of the present moment, straddling reality and fiction. In works such as *La festa di Ciccetto* (2025), a solitary figure stares at a cell phone, as if it were an ancient talisman, while a mysterious presence appears in the background—a sort of omen lurking in the shadows.

The ordinary thus becomes a secret ritual, evoking ancestral memories and existential questions in scenes with acid-tinged, lunar tones in shades of blue. Barbalaco earned his diploma in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. Following solo exhibitions in private venues in Bologna (2023) and Rome (2024), in 2025 he held the exhibition *Blu stregato* at the Fellini Museum in Rimini.

Text by Arianna Baldoni