Rooted in a lineage of painters of phenomena and things, itinerant sketchers and landscapists, Michele Tocca’s depictions elicit questions on the direct relationship between painting and the physical world with all the paradoxes implied in sur-le-vif perceptive, ruminative and imaginative dynamics.
Born in 1983 (Subiaco, Rome), Tocca is based in Rome, Italy. He holds an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London. His work has been exhibited in museums, galleries and independent spaces, among which: 1/9unosunove gallery, Rome (2018); Villa Vertua Masolo, Nova Milanese (2018); Francesco Pantaleone Gallery, Palermo (2015); Musei di Villa Torlonia, Rome (2015); Fuoricampo Gallery, Siena-Bruxelles (2015-2014); FLAG ART Foundation, New York (2014); Studiolo Project, Milan (2014); Museo del Paesaggio, Verbania Pallanza, (2013); MARCA, Catanzaro (2011); CIAC, Genazzano, Rome (2010); the Moscow Biennale, Moscow (2010); the Prague Biennale, Prague (2009); Otto Zoo Gallery Milan (2008).
Image 1: In Lorenzetti's (the turret under storm), 2014, oil on canvas, 40x35 cm
Image 2: De Valenciennes's Pollen, 2017, oil on canvas, 100x85 cm.Photo: Sebastiano Luciano
Image 3: Early dripping (Pastificio Cerere), 2018, oil on canvas, 71x65 cm. Photo: Sebastiano Luciano
Image 4: Belvedere (Lojacono through sunglasses), 2018, oil on canvas, 45x20 cm. Photo: Sebastiano Luciano
