"I am an Italian figurative painter bringing old masters’ techniques into a lyrical, symbolic, and oneiric contemporary vision influenced by art nouveau."
Erica Calardo (Genoa, 1980) is a figurative painter living and working in Bologna, Italy.
Her works in oils, watercolors, and pencils are windows on the solitude of lost souls. She explores the realm of Beauty, Grotesque, Magic, by creating eery oneiric feminine figures who tell tales of long forgotten dreams, of an imaginary timeless past.
Deeply rooted in the Italian Tradition, her technique is inspired by the Renaissance and Mannerism old masters (Leonardo, Bronzino, and Lavinia Fontana above all). She is mostly self-taught and has learned her skills from old dusty books. She has recently studied academic painting with Italian master Roberto Ferri.
Since 2010, she has showcased her work in galleries in Italy (Mondo Bizzarro, Studio21), and abroad (La Luz de Jesus - LA, Auguste Clown - Australia, Modern Eden, Swoon, Flower Pepper, WWA, and Spoke Art, Distinction - USA, Pinkzeppelin - Berlin among others). Erica's paintings have appeared in several magazines and books, like Miroir Magazine, Beautiful Bizarre, Il Manifesto, Inside Art, Italian Pop Surrealism, Illustrati..
She is in love with ancient castles, old christmas postcards, memento mori from the Victorian Age, logic, history of art, four poster beds, baroque clothing, fairytales, mirrors, harpsichords, ghost stories, and punk rock
Solo:
ONIRIKA, curated by Sara Sarti, ART CITY BOLOGNA, Artefierat, 2024
PSYCHO CIRCUS, curated by Sara Sarti, Artefiera Art White Night, 2023
CHAOS // KOSMOS (DOUBLE SOLO) - Pink Zeppelin Gallery, Berlin. 5 September 2014.
LOST ECHOES - Swoon Gallery, CA, 2013
Group shows (selected)
Breath @ CONTEXT, ART MIAMI with 33Contemporary, Florida, US
54th Premio Vasto, curated by Piernicola Maria Di Iorio, Musei Civici di Palazzo d'Avalos, Vasto (CH), Italy
Painting the Figure Now, curated by curated by Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Wausau, WI, USA
Portrait Show, Modern Eden Gallery
MUSIC BOX II - Haven Gallery, Northport, NY
LOVER'S EYE - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
THE COASTER SHOW - La Luz de Jesus, Los Angeles, CA
BEST FRIENDS PAINTED PETS - Copro Gallery, CA
MISSION BLUE - Haven Gallery, Northport, NY
LE CHAT NOIR - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
GOLDEN - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
WANDERLUST 2015 - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
THE 20/20 PROJECT - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
FRIDA KHALO- Distinction Gallery, CA
WANDERLUST 2014 - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
ON BEAUTY - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
THE GROTESQUE - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
FORGOTTEN FUTURES - Screaming Sky Gallery, Portland, OR
NOSTALGIA - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
BAD DADS - tribute to Wes Anderson, Spoke Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA
CHRONICLES - Tales from the Sea, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
MONA, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
GET THE LEAD OUT VII, Swoon Gallery, LA
WHAT BIG EYES YOU HAVE, curated by Sugarfueled and Sarah Banks, Gallery at City Arts Factory, Orlando, Florida
L'HEURE BLEU, curated by June Leeloo. Auguste Clown Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
E.T. - ENFANT TERRIBLE, Studioventuno Art Gallery, Salerno, IT
PLURALE FEMMINILE, curated by Studioventuno Art Gallery, Tattoo Convention, Rome, IT
VENICE, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
C'ERA UNA VOLTA -- GIOCO E GIOCATTOLO, curated by Valeria Arnaldi at MACRO, Rome, IT
BAROCCO EROTICA, curated by Andi Garcia, 423 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
18th ANNIVERSARY SHOW, Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Rome, IT
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW, Flower Pepper Gallery, Pasadena, CA
SCARYGIRL 10 year anniversary show, Toytokyo Underground Gallery, 31 October 2012, New York, Usa
CHARMED LIFE, curated by Ally Takeuchi, Swoon Gallery, California
AUGUSTE CLOWN GALLERY opening show, curated by Leigh Cornish, Brunswick Victoria, Australia
VEXED, curated by Andi Garcia, 423 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
PREMIO TERMOLI , curated by Lorenzo Canova, Termoli, IT
Pimp my Mary, Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Roma, IT
Neo Pop: Pop Surrealism vs Urban Art - Group Show curated by Pietro di Lecce, Spazio Orlandi, Milan (Italy)
PAPIROFLEXIA - curated by Lorenzo Canova, ARATRO, Univerisity of Molise -- Campobasso, IT
POP SURREALISMO AL FEMMINILE - Tagart Shop Gallery, Reggio Calabria IT
ITALIAN POP SURREALISM: INTO THE FUTURE - Group Show curated by Andrea Oppenheimer, Musei Capitolini Centrale Montemartini, october 2011 - Roma, IT
Decadence suite – Group Show curated by Nicoletta De Biasi and Raffaella D’Angelo. Decadence loft, 2010 - Milano, IT
Kalenarte, Group Show curated by Silvia Valente, Museo di Arte Contemporanea all’Aperto, 2010 - CASACALENDA (CB), IT
ITALIAN POP SURREALISM: BIRTH OF A NATION - Group Show curated by Andrea Oppenheimer, Mondo Bizzarro, october 2011 - Roma, IT
MONDO BIZZARRO SHOW - group show curated by Rossana Calbi. Galleria Studio 21, Salerno, IT
WI-FI ART: One Sunday - Workshop a cura di Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, n.3 Pop Surrealism -- Made in Italy, Circolo degli Artisti, Roma, IT
Imago – Premio Termoli 2010, Group Show curated by Miriam Mirolla, Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea, 2010 – TERMOLI (CB), IT
Soupy Records Illustration, curated by Erica Calardo, Fragile Continuo, 2010 - BOLOGNA, IT
Fuoriluogo XIV – Interrelazionale, curated by Silvia Valente, Galleria Limiti Inchiusi, 2009 - TERMOLI (CB), IT