Giovanni Mercatelli

Giovanni Mercatelli (b. 1996, Bologna, Italy) is a contemporary painter who lives and works in Bologna. Working primarily with oil, acrylic, and collage on canvas, he is best known for expressive, thickly layered paintings that blend figuration and abstraction.

His works often feature cut-out figures sourced from 1960s photographs, combined with dense strokes and shiny surfaces.

Mercatelli’s painting language balances irony and melancholy, creating scenes that oscillate between intimacy and discomfort, where humor coexists with psychological tension.

Mercatelli’s canvases function as small theatrical spaces inhabited by secondary characters who populate ambiguous interiors and landscapes. The process is intuitive and physical, embracing chaos and accident, allowing images to emerge autonomously through repetition, exhaustion, and chromatic tension.

Mercatelli studied Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology and later obtained a Master’s degree in Industrial Ecology in Leiden. After completing his studies, he decided to pursue painting professionally. From 10 April to 3 May 2025, he held his solo exhibition, Dal Mondo Piccolo, at Galleria Forni in Bologna, presenting 22 works produced between 2024 and 2025. His work has been acquired by private and corporate collections, and he is currently expanding his practice through independent research, exhibitions, and international networking.