Anna Montanaro was born in 1981 in Carate Brianza and is a versatile artist whose works explore the relationship between memory, time, and the body. Her research, imbued with a profound reflection on the fleeting nature of existence, gives rise to an art that blends photography, collage, printmaking, and painting, where each element intertwines to narrate the complexity of the human experience.

Her passion for printmaking began at a young age, influenced by her family's legacy in typography. This connection is reflected in her art, where she explores repetition, seriality, and variability as tools to represent time and memory. Her artistic practice is a continuous, layered process that begins with conceptual reflection and culminates in the physical elaboration of materials. Her photographic collages, which form the core of her production, are further transformed through inkjet printing on canvas, subjected to successive alterations. The painting intervention, which involves the removal of color, glazing, and scratching of the surface, resembles the process of digging into memory, where the recollection becomes blurred, no longer clear but intimate and subtly evanescent.

Another distinctive aspect of her research is the use of resins, which are applied in some works to trap the image, suspending it in a gelatinous layer reminiscent of old photographic films. This technical and symbolic gesture creates a kind of freezing of the image, as if memories were trapped in time, and at the same time conveys the idea of a suspended memory, not entirely accessible but still visible through a transparent layer. The resin thus becomes a material that not only preserves but holds the essence of memory, allowing it to exist in both a physical and intangible form.

However, the act of removal is not only physical but also becomes conceptual: a dialogue between the visible and the invisible, where memory, which dissolves over time, reappears in new forms. Her works, which evoke the theme of vanitas, call to mind the transience of life and the desire for eternity. Every mark, every glaze, is an intentional act that conveys a deep emotion and a sense of continuity between the past, present, and future, offering a contemplative and intellectual experience.

An academic at Brera, Anna Montanaro has participated in numerous prestigious international art events, including the OSTEN Biennial of Drawing, the Premio Arte Cairo Editore, the Biennale di Sondrio, the Biennale di Firenze, and the Triennale di Roma. Her work has been recognized by prominent art critics such as Giorgio Grasso, Claudio Franza, and Pieralice, who have praised her ability to intertwine the language of art with profound philosophical reflection, creating a meeting between the intimate and the universal.

Her works are not merely creative acts but a continuous search for truth, where the flow between what has been and what will be becomes the core of an endless reflection. Truth, however, is not absolute: it is a weave of memories, perceptions, and personal opinions, subjective and mutable, which manifest and transform in a constant dialogue between the past and the evolving identity.

Anna Montanaro has achieved significant milestones in her career, becoming a leading figure in contemporary art, capable of evoking deep emotions and stimulating reflection on the mystery of memory and time. Her work continues to be an invitation to contemplation, offering the audience the chance to explore the infinite expressive and intellectual possibilities that art can offer.

Education and Recognitions

• 1993: Free Artistic Academy F.A.L., founded by the Lombard artist Gino Meloni

• 1999: Diploma at the "Papa Ratti" PIO XI Artistic High School in Desio (MB)

• 2006: Academic Diploma in Art Restoration at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan

• 2000: Specialization in the restoration of ancient paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries under the guidance of restorer L. Comolli, at the PDM Institute in Prato and the RestArt Studio in Milan

• 2000: Specialization in fresco restoration and architectural restoration of plaster and surface stucco, under the guidance of restorer Giuseppina Suardi and architect Elena Gigliarelli (CNR Rome), at the Dedalo Study Center in Brescia

• 2004-06: Personal assistant of Prof. Luciana Biliotti in the course of Restoration of Ancient Paintings at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera, Milan

• 2001-13: Technical designer for urban planning of green systems equipped for the Municipality of Milan

• Designer and production manager for international events, including Casa Italia for the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Casa Italia for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BMW Italian Open at the Royal Park Turin, Casa Italia for the Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Taste of Milan, Giro d'Italia, etc.

• 2016: Ministerial qualification of collaborator restorer of Cultural Heritage - Restoration technician, obtained with Legislative Decree 38/2016

• 2016: HONORABLE DIPLOMA OF "PREMIO ARTE 2016" and Finalist, Art Award, Cairo Publisher

• 2018: FIRST ART PRIZE OF THE CITY OF NOVARA

• 2018: FIRST FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI TROPHY - Finalist

• 2020: ART PRIZE "DE ANDRE'" - Finalist

• 2020: FIRST PRIZE PAINTING RICOH PRIZE, 10th edition, Prof. Dr. Giorgio Gregorio Grasso

• 2021: CERTIFICATE OF MERIT, Museum Inside Luxembourg Art Prize

• 2022: FIRST PRIZE GRAPHIC ART, OSTEN BIENNIAL OF DRAWING 2022, Skopje, Macedonia

• Photography Critics Award, WAB Creativity Biennial, Bra

• 2022: ARTISTIC CATALOGING AWARD, Artes Maximale Friedrich II Hohenstauten Prize 2022, Italy

• 2023: CERTIFICATE OF MERIT, Museum Inside Luxembourg Art Prize

• 2023: PARTICIPATION IN THE BIENNIALE OF FLORENCE, Fortezza da Basso, Florence

• 2023: PARTICIPATION IN THE TRIENNALE OF VISUAL ARTS IN ROME, curated by Stefania Pieralice, with critic Daniele Radini Tedeschi

• 2024: PREMIO DESIGN AND SOSTENIBILITA', MIIT Museum, Turin

• 2024: TECHNICAL JURY PRIZE ART BIENNALE OF SONDRIO, and Honorable Mention, CAST Sondrio

• 2024: BRA BIENNALE INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE AWARD - W.A.B.

• 2024: BRA BIENNALE DREAMING AWARD - W.A.B.

• 2024: OSTEN BIENNIAL, Skopje, Macedonia - Finalist