BIO
Antonella Nicoli (b. 1992, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a Berlin-based mixed-media artist whose work explores the intersection of eroticism, humor, and visual storytelling. Self-taught and with a background in costume design, haute couture, and multimedia, her practice moves fluidly between disciplines. Drawing from early influences in fashion, theater, and pulp culture, Nicoli builds figurative compositions that are both confrontational and playful.
Her current series imagines erotic encounters unfolding in public common areas—neutral, everyday environments that heighten the contrast between fantasy and reality. Language, through the use of typography and wordplay, plays a central role in her work, often appearing as graphic text that reinforces narrative tension.
Inspired by artists such as Eric Stanton, Olivia de Berardinis, Milo Manara, and Emanuele Taglietti, she creates richly textured, small to medium-scale canvases that navigate the edges of filth, beauty, and laughter. Her paintings have been shown in group exhibitions at The Holy Art Gallery (London), The Alchemical Art Gallery (Melbourne), Nebula97 (Berlin), and B23 Space (Berlin). Nicoli is part of a generation of emerging artists reclaiming visual pleasure with irreverence, curiosity, and an unapologetically personal lens.
STATEMENT
Sexuality and fetishism have always been subjects I was taught to avoid—but they have remained central to my curiosity and artistic investigation. Through mixed media painting—combining acrylics, ink, oils, and materials like fabric—I explore eroticism, humor, and violence in everyday life. My figurative works feature stylized characters inspired by vintage cartoon strips and erotic pulp, often placed against realistic urban backdrops. This contrast mirrors the tension between inner fantasy and shared public experience.
My current body of work stages erotic scenarios within Berlin’s public transport system, a setting chosen to narrate the surreal friction that occurs when private desire is imagined within collective environments. I begin each piece by photographing real locations where I envision these interactions unfolding. The composition is developed digitally—layering hand-drawn characters with photographic settings—before being translated onto canvas using various techniques and materials.
Through bold imagery and graphic text, I aim to create moments that feel both familiar and unsettling, prompting viewers to reflect on how eroticism and power dynamics are portrayed and understood over time. Beneath the humor and visually striking surfaces, my work examines how past representations of sexuality, gender, and control continue to shape our perception of desire today.
RÉSUMÉ
Antonella Nicoli
Born 1992 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Resides and works in Berlin, Germany
EDUCATION & TRAINING
2020–2022: Multimedia Art & Design Studies, Escuela Da Vinci, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2010–2013: Haute Couture Dressmaker Modelist Degree, Instituto de Alta Moda Roberto Piazza, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2011: Costume Design and Production, Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2011: Theatrical Makeup and Hairstyling, Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2010: Scholarship for Young Artists, Casa Escuela de Arte, Buenos Aires, Argentina
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2024, The Future We Want (group exhibition), Nebula97, Berlin, Germany
2024, Motion (group exhibition), The Holy Art Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2024, Pixel (group exhibition), The Alchemical Art Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2024, Group Exhibition, B23 Space, Berlin, Germany