ARTISTIC PROFILE

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Melissa Marcello is a multidisciplinary contemporary artist whose practice investigates memory, archives, history and the preservation of individual and collective narratives. Working primarily with photography and extending into mixed media and material experimentation, she explores the relationship between historical reconstruction, visual memory and the traces of everyday life.

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Her ongoing projects ORIGINI and TRACCE examine how experiences, identities and cultural histories are documented, transmitted and reinterpreted over time.

 

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EDUCATION

IULM University, Milan, Italy
Master's Degree in Art, Art Management and Valorisation.

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IULM University, Milan, Italy
Bachelor's Degree in Communication, Media and Advertising.

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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS AND ART FAIRS

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2025

ORIGINI
Teti, Sardinia, Italy
20–21 December 2025

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2024

ORIGINI
Manifattura Tabacchi, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
16–28 May 2024

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NATURA
Ticinese Art Gallery, Milan, Italy
26 September – 2 November 2024

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ORIGINI
MIA Photo Fair, AD Gallery, Milan, Italy
11–14 April 2024

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2023

ORIGINI
AD Gallery, Florence, Italy
16–30 December 2023

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ORIGINI
Tiana, Sardinia, Italy
11–12 November 2023

 

ORIGINI
The Others Art Fair, Turin, Italy
2–5 November 2023

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ORIGINI
Tonara, Sardinia, Italy
8–9 October 2023

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CONNECTION
Lattuada Gallery, Milan, Italy
Milan Photo Festival
15 September – 31 October 2023

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ORIGINI
Tiana, Sardinia, Italy
19 August 2023

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ORIGINI
Gualchiera di Tiana, Sardinia, Italy
17 June 2023

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ORIGINI
AD Gallery, Florence, Italy
27 May – 3 June 2023

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ORIGINI
MIA Photo Fair, Petrazzini Gallery, Milan, Italy
March 2023

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ORIGINI
TIFF Gallery, Piacenza, Italy
3 December 2022 – 21 January 2023

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2022

ORIGINI
Ovodda, Sardinia, Italy
5–6 November 2022

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EFFIMERA
Scalo Lambrate, Milan, Italy
1 April – 1 May 2022

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ORIGINI
MIA Photo Fair, Petrazzini Gallery, Milan, Italy
26 March – 1 April 2022

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ORIGINI
Mandas, Sardinia, Italy
1 December 2021 – 1 January 2022

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ORIGINI
Desulo, Sardinia, Italy
1 December 2021 – 1 January 2022

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2021

UTPICTURA
Camera – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia, Turin, Italy
6–10 October 2021

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UTPICTURA
MIA Photo Fair, Superstudio Maxi / Petrazzini Gallery, Milan, Italy
7–10 October 2021

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2013

BELLEZZA E DANNAZIONE
Sanremo, Italy
1–30 April 2013

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COLLECTIONS

Mario Cucinella Collection
ORIGINI
 

Luchi Collection
ORIGINI
 

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CHARITY AUCTION

2023

Benefiz-Kunstauktion
Sotheby's, Palais Oppenheim, Cologne, Germany
5 October 2023

Selected artist in an international charity auction supporting Desideria Care e.V., alongside artists from 53 countries.

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PUBLICATIONS

ORIGINI
Two Italian Rescals — international art magazine. Full bibliographic details to be confirmed.

ORIGINI
Catalogue publication, Milan Photo Festival. Publication details to be confirmed.

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TALKS AND LECTURES

La Triennale di Milano, Milan, Italy
 

IULM University, Milan, Italy
 

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TELEVISION AND MEDIA

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Four television appearances in Italy

• Rai 3 Sardegna — two appearances.

• Rai Piemonte — one appearance.

• Tele Sardegna — one appearance.

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ONGOING ARTISTIC RESEARCH

ORIGINI | 2019–ongoing

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Developed in Sardinia, ORIGINI investigates the relationship between personal origins, cultural identity, collective memory and the photographic reconstruction of the past.

Combining archival research with staged photographic scenes, the project revisits everyday life and traditional practices, creating images that connect contemporary subjects with historical visual narratives.

Initially rooted in a personal search for family origins, ORIGINI has evolved into an ongoing artistic investigation into the preservation of cultural memory and the traces of lives that have not been adequately documented.

The project remains an ongoing part of Marcello's artistic practice.

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TRACCE | 2024–ongoing

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TRACCE is an ongoing artistic research project developed in the Netherlands, investigating memory, archives and the material traces of lived experience.

Expanding Marcello's photographic practice into a multidisciplinary investigation, the project explores photography, archival research, mixed media, textile, drawing, objects and material experimentation.

Through the collection, interpretation and transformation of traces, TRACCE considers how memories are preserved, altered and transmitted over time.

The project is currently in development, with research underway and potential interview participants being identified.

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