Mattia Barbalaco, born in Vibo Valentia, Calabria, in 1999, is gaining recognition for a distinctive, intensely poetic visual language that blends psychological depth with surreal, symbol-rich imagery. A graduate with distinction from the Painting program at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Barbalaco has already captured the attention of international galleries and collectors despite his young age.
Blu Stregato, the artist’s forthcoming solo exhibition, brings together works that envelop the viewer in a quasi-haunted atmosphere. Barbalaco’s characters often inhabit inscrutable solitude, illuminated by carefully orchestrated light and a cool blue palette that dominates the scenes. The result is a mood that oscillates between dream and disturbance, where ordinary moments are transformed into occult, unsettling tableaux.
Central to Barbalaco’s practice is a dialogue with psychoanalysis and the unconscious. His compositions repeatedly disrupt logical narrative threads, inserting surreal elements that challenge perception and invite contemplation of what lies beyond visible reality. This exploration of the unseen renders his work both enigmatic and profoundly poetic, as if the boundary between dream and waking life is perpetually dissolving.
Barbalaco’s path, while still early, already signals a robust and universal line of inquiry: the tension between the inner world and external reality. By translating inner imagery into tangible paint and texture, he creates a visual language that speaks to a broad audience while maintaining a singular, intimate voice. As his career progresses, critics and collectors alike will likely follow his continued development with keen interest.
Biography in brief: Born: 1999, Vibo Valentia, Calabria, Italy. Education: Academy of Fine Arts, Rome — Painting, with distinction. Emerging status: Recognized by international galleries and collectors for his idiosyncratic storytelling and technical mastery
Von Buren Contemporary announces Mattia Barbalaco’s solo presentation, Blu Stregato, at the Fellini Museum in Rimini. The exhibition, framed within the historic Palazzo del Fulgor, runs from the vernissage on Friday, December 5, 2025, starting at 17:00, through January 6, 2026. The presentation text is by Massimo Pulini, offering an insightful framing of Barbalaco’s practice and the thematic center of the show.
Photo credits: Artist’s archive.
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