Visual Artist, Painter and Photographer
Giordano Macellari is a visual artist and photographer born in Potenza Picena (MC), Italy, on December 31, 1962. His artistic research is rooted in the subtraction of the superfluous to reach the essential, simultaneously developing two expressive paths: fine art black and white photography and a powerful style of painting that constantly moves between abstraction and a personal modern figurativism.
He manifested a strong vocation for art from early childhood. After achieving success as an entrepreneur, in 2002 he made a radical choice, ceasing all business activities to dedicate himself entirely to art, becoming, according to his famous definition, “the owner of his own 24 hours.” This turning point was inaugurated with a symbolic journey: upon turning 40, he left for a 40-day stay on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, bringing with him only his clothes and a suitcase full of rolled canvases, which were painted entirely on site. Already in 2000, demonstrating remarkable foresight, he registered his official web domain under his own name, anticipating the necessity of independence and direct digital outreach.
His official debut on the art scene took place in 2003 with his first institutional exhibition at the Palazzo dei Capitani in Ascoli Piceno, a year that also marked a significant meeting and intellectual exchange with the renowned critic Achille Bonito Oliva. From that moment, his career accelerated extraordinarily, leading him to hold approximately 20 exhibitions in his first four years of activity alone. The value of his research soon received major confirmation within the national critical landscape, being included in the prestigious Catalogue of Italian Modern Art No. 39 (Editoriale Giorgio Mondadori, 2003) and later in the volume “Avanguardie Artistiche” (2011).
The connection with the United States marks fundamental milestones and unique anecdotes in his career. In New York, Macellari held two major solo exhibitions, including a celebrated show at the historic Ward-Nasse Gallery in Soho. For one of these American projects, the artist moved to the metropolis a month and a half before the opening, purchasing canvases and paints on site and producing 42 paintings in a creative rush, which were then exhibited alongside his black and white photographic production. From this period comes a singular and successful artistic experiment, which saw him quickly hand-paint 1,000 traditional white shirts that had remained unsold in a friend’s clothing store warehouse, transforming them into unique art pieces that sold out in a very short time.
Since 2005, Macellari has established a deep bond with Brazil, where he purchased a home and regularly travels to spend the winter months painting. On Brazilian soil, he has held major exhibitions, including a celebrated show at the Museo Casa de Cultura Mario Quintana in Porto Alegre and an exhibition at a well-known local art gallery.
In parallel, the artist maintains a strong bond with his homeland and a deep respect for historical memory, distinguishing himself through major philanthropic projects. Through the “TODAY FOR YESTERDAY” initiative (2005, 2006), held during his solo exhibitions in the Marche region, the artist donated the entire proceeds of the shows to finance the restoration of historic local artworks in need of preservation, collaborating with institutions such as the “Corrado Pellini” Civic Art Gallery in Montelupone and the “Vittore Crivelli” Art Gallery in Sant’Elpidio a Mare.
A key role in his critical journey is held by the art historian Stefano Papetti, who over the years has curated and presented numerous exhibitions of his work, including shows in Montelupone, two exhibitions in Sant’Elpidio a Mare, and the celebrated “Lotario and Imelda” (2019) at the Imperial Basilica of Santa Croce al Chienti. His exhibition history spans highly prestigious venues including the Shanghai Art Fair in China, Palazzo Mondadori in Venice, the Reggia di Caserta, as well as institutional exhibitions in Rome, Ancona (Palazzo Camerata), Civitanova Marche (Palazzo Sforza), Piombino, and the recent 2024 photographic exhibition “The contrasts of life” in Morrovalle, dedicated to the figure of his mother, Marcella.
The power of Macellari’s painting, expressed on different formats depending on the creative urgency, from large canvases measuring 80×120 cm and 60×120 cm to more intimate sizes, lies in its deeply personal nature. What the public perceives as abstraction is, in reality, a figurativism of the soul: every line, gesture, or burst of color on the canvas represents a biographical fragment crystal clear in the painter’s mind. These are not merely graphic marks, but pieces of lived life, such as a joyful afternoon or an intense night. Through this poetics, the viewer is guided to perceive the presence of a real, pulsing, and honest story behind the surface of the artwork.
Giordano Macellari in his home-studio (2008)