Bio

Paololuca Barbieri Marchi (b. 1974, Rome) is an Italian contemporary artist, curator, and researcher whose practice navigates the shifting terrains of visual culture, collective authorship, and hybrid media. A founding member of the Milan-based artist collective Alterazioni Video, Barbieri Marchi has contributed to major projects such as Incompiuto Siciliano—a widely recognized survey of over 600 unfinished public infrastructures in Italy, recontextualized as a new form of architectural heritage.

His individual practice spans painting, filmmaking, and curatorial work.

Barbieri Marchi’s paintings are often large-scale, predominantly executed in oil on linen, and frequently incorporate spray paint, chalk, and photosensitive pigments. Each work undergoes multiple layers of painting, erasure, and recomposition until an abstract, dense, and organic balance emerges from the interplay of marks—surprising the artist as much as the viewer.

A tension between figuration and abstraction often permeates the works: forms that initially suggest objects, landscapes, or figures gradually dissolve through the compositional process, leaving only hints or visual echoes for the viewer’s eye. The compositions remain open and playful, with recognizable figures or elements often introduced in an ironic or whimsical tone. Despite this, the works as a whole appear dense and complex, revealing a profound sensitivity.

Recent projects include co-curating R U STILL PAINTING??? with Marco Boggio Sella, an exhibition that brought together over 40 artists in a deliberately raw, unpolished presentation of contemporary painting. Across his practice, Barbieri Marchi continues to blur disciplinary boundaries, challenge dominant narratives, and explore the intersections of art, technology, and society.