Born in Milan, Simona Zecca is a self-taught artist who has always loved drawing and art since childhood and has always continued to cultivate her passion for art even during her studies and in the period in which she worked. in marketing.

She loves studying new and various techniques and over the years she deepened the use of graphite, colored pencils, watercolor, acrylic, airbrush and oil, which is currently his favorite technique.

In 2015 she decided to follow the ever-present call of art to which she began to devote herself full time from 2016, initially customizing mainly helmets and motorcycle parts with airbrush and at the same time expressing herself through his paintings on canvas.

In 2019 she began to exhibit her artworks, immediately receiving an excellent response from the public and critics and obtaining various awards.

Initially hyper-realistic, she is now expressesing herself through a modern realism and prefers female portraits. She has always been particularly focused on the expressiveness of the gaze.

Exhibitions

- Mantua International Art BiennialArtExpo (8-16 June 2019)

- Womenhouse – group exhibition at OnArt Gallery Florence (12-28 July 2019)

- San Crispino International Art prize - Porto Sant'Elpidio (12-27 October 2019)

- ISA Award Exhibition at ISA Cremona: first prize ex equo ISA Award in the figurative painting category (November 2019)

- Characters in the mirror – group exhibition at MAD Mantova (1-14 February 2020)

- Tre volte donna - solo exhibition within the group exhibition at [-] Mantova (giugno 2020)

- The art of women - Mini solo exhibition within the group exhibition at Milano Art Gallery (1-21 July 2020)

- Exhibition at Milan Expo during the Milan Design Week with Passepartout Art Gallery (September 2021)

- BIANCOSCURO Art Exhibition at PaviArt (September 2021)

- A New Woman – SOLO exhibition at Solis Art Gallery, Brescia (December 2022)

- Japan in Gold – SOLO Exhibition at Consulate of Japan – Milan (January 2023)

- Exhibition of See Me Through painting at Casa Sanremo durante Sanremo Festival (February 2023)

- “A Milano la primavera è in mostra” Collettiva internazionale at Concept Art Brera Gallery – Milan (aprile 2023)

- “Appuntamento con l’arte” Collettiva internazionale at Hotel Splendid Royale – Lugano, Svizzera (aprile 2023)

- “I 7 vizi capitali” collettiva at Concept Art Brera Gallery – Milano (maggio 2023)

- “Elogio della follia” collettiva at Spazio Espositivo ex Fornace Gola – Milano (maggio 2023)

- Collettiva “Change” at Solis Art Gallery (maggio 2023)

Awards

- San Crispino International Art prize - Porto Sant'Elpidio (12-27 October 2019): Special Award for the Slovenian Embassy Representation with “Sharbat”

- Star dell'Arte Award 2019 of Art Now magazine and publication in the December issue of the magazine

- ISA Award Exhibition 2019: first prize ex equo ISA Award in the figurative painting category with “Sharbat” (November 2019)

- Matera Award awarded by Spoleto Arte (March 2020)

- Art NowCritics Award and critical publication on the March 2020 issue with “Sharbat”

- Art House Gallery Online Contest 3rd Edition: First place with "Audrey" (March 2020)

- Passepartout Gallery - 6 Xmas Contest: winner with “Heartbreak Hotel – Room 1” (December 2020)

- BIANCOSCURO Art Magazine BAC Winter Edition 2020: Group Exhibition Prize (December 2020)

- Colors of Humanity Art Gallery Red Contest: mentioned as Noteworthy with “Lilith” (February 2021)

- CAGO ALL painting/drawing contest: won First place (February 2021)

- Artavita International online contest Win Exhibition at New York Expo: Finalist (February2021)

- Artmajeur: Editor's Choice with “Heartbreak Hotel- Room 2” (February 2021)

- Camelback Gallery’s Artist Choice VI Visual Arts Competition: Silver Medal for “Heartbreak Hotel - Room 1” (February 2021)

- CAGO ALL women contest: social conscious award with “Sharbat” (March 2021)

- Art Room Gallery: Merit award with “Heartbreak Hotel – Room 1” (March 2021)

- HelvetartSwiss Online Gallery open contest: First Prize with “Lilith” (March 2021)

- Faces competition by Camelback Gallery:Silver Award with “Heartbreak Hotel – Room 3” (March 2021)

- Artavita online contest: First Prize with “Heartbreak Hotel – Room 2” - published on frontispiece of the art magazine (May 2021)

- Circle Quarterly Art Review: selected among 618 participants to be featured full page on 6th issue of the Art Magazine with “Heartbreak Hotel – Room 1” (May 2021)

- Camelback Gallery: Artist of the Month (March 2022)

- Art Show International Gallery: Talent Prize Award (May 2022)

- Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery: Special Merit Award (May 2022)

- 6Contest Online: Honorable Mention (May 2022)

- ArtCertificate 2022 Figurative Art contest: Second Prize (June 2022)

- Artistic Merit Certificate by Luxembourg Art Prize 2022 Jury (December 2022)

- ArtCertificate 2022 Figurative Art contest: Second Prize (giugno2022)

- Interview on Marvelous Art Magazine (April 2023)

- Interview on Artmajeur (April 2023)

THE MODERN REALISM OF SIMONA ZECCA

Critic by Simone Fappanni

Portraiture finds its roots in antiquity, even in myth, such as that of the legendary story of the daughter of the potter of Corinth the birth of the portraiture as a gesture to remember the loved one is attributed to. Beyond truth and imagination, the art of portraiture is a subtle, infinite practice which over the centuries has first been codified in precise physiognomic rules and then freed, especially with Picasso and the avant-gardes, from any strictly representation. "Faithful" to reality. Ultimately, this means that in order to make a particular contribution to this genre, it is necessary to have a marked originality.

The compositional process of Simona Zecca is configured as a truly intriguing experience in the field of portraiture, having some very personal expressive connotations capable of arousing deep emotions suspended between realism and imagination.

In fact, the painter offers the observer figures cloaked in a seductive charm that emanates both from the harmony of shapes, sought after through a refined and acute drawing, and through precise color choices that refer to an extremely meticulous look at the person depicted.

Furthermore, his works are distinguished by precise postural choices - and sometimes by gestures - within which a sort of "approach" to the viewer takes place that allows you to appreciate the whole and the detail of paintings marked by expressions that are the reflection of emotions represented with authentic empathy.

In all this, the eyes are truly "the mirror of the soul", as they bring to the fore what the figure transmits immediately, without veils or censorship, thus finding a way to be extremely enjoyable.

A particular attention should be paid to the textured-consistent backgrounds, never deliberately left neutral: far from being a mere "theatrical backdrop", they are co-essential elements of the work: colors, not infrequently written or certain signs concur in a fundamental way to clarify its basic meaning. The gold leaf used for the creation of some details also creates an apparent antithetical contrast between the "rough" part of the backgrounds and the preciousness of this material. On the contrary, these elements find instead a harmonious fusion that is not taken for granted and an unexpected complementarity within the composition.

Therefore, ranging from portraits of famous personalities, also belonging to the world of music and cinema, to works involving ordinary people or even of pure invention, Simona Zecca gives us a modern portraiture with dense and juicy brushstrokes in which it is easy and extremely pleasant to immerse oneself ad libitum.