Paolo Assenza, born in 1974 in Rome, where he lives and works. He graduated in Set Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, where he was among other students of the art historian Alberto Boatto. He developed artistically in the 1990s in close contact with many artists from the Roman scene, including Bruno Aller, Maurizio Mochetti (whom he assisted), the members of the historic Gruppo Uno (Achille Pace, Nato Frascà, Ninì Santoro, Nicola Carrino), and those of the Roman School of Via degli Ausoni in San Lorenzo, during the years between 1996 and 2009 when he had his studio opposite Palazzo Cerere. More recently, he joined the artists of the Castello di Rivara directed by Franz Paludetto. His work moves transversally from painting to installation to video, mediums through which he constantly experiments while maintaining a privileged connection with painting. He takes part in numerous national and international exhibitions, and his works are included in public and private collections. In 2014 he co-founded SpazioY, an experimental and independent space for Contemporary Art in the outskirts of Rome, through which he has organized and curated numerous exhibitions. On the occasion of the 12th edition of Manifesta Biennial, the project opened a new venue in Palermo, an experience he also considers an “artistic action,” where the research exhibition space is conceived as a place of artistic/political/social exchange—a cultural project that today feels necessary as it allows the formulation of a contemporary experience akin to the avant-gardes already known in art history.

The activity of the exhibition space has been the subject of numerous articles in specialized press, and on the occasion of the first edition of Nesxt (a festival on independent art spaces, directed by Olga Gambari), it was selected among the 20 most representative independent spaces in Italy.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

• Palermo Spleen Spazio Y Palazzo Savona curated by Bridge Art and Spazio Y, 2018 Palermo;
• Street Food Fourteen ArTellaro curated by Gino D’Ugo, 2018 Tellaro di Lerici (SV);
• Geografie sopra l’orizzonte Studio Arte Fuori Centro, curated by Roberto Gramiccia, 2018 Rome;
• Declinare il Tempo – Equinozio d'autunno#30 Castello di Rivara, curated by Franz Paludetto, 2017 Rivara (TO);
• Del Corpo Senza Peso TraleVolte, curated by Paolo Balmas and Anne Lepoittevin, 2015 Rome;
• Hodoeporicon Interno14, curated by Bruno Aller, 2015 Rome;
• Ventinovegiorni Spazio Menexa, curated by Paolo Aita, 2014 Rome;
• Tutto 26CC, curated by Sabrina Vedovotto, 2012 Rome;
• Ur-Sprung Maam Metropoliz Lab, curated by Giorgio De Finis and Silvia Litardi, 2011 Rome;
• Vuoto a Perdere Galleria Endemica, curated by Paolo Balmas, 2010 Rome;
• Homo Videns École Normale Supérieure, curated by Anne Lepoittevin, 2010 Paris;
• In-Conciliazioni Galleria Arte e Pensieri, curated by Carlo Fabrizio Carli, 2008 Rome

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

• Oltremare ArtePorto Archaeological Area of the Imperial Ports of Claudius and Trajan, curated by Sandro Polo and Silvia Calvarese, 2018, Fiumicino (RM);
• Found a Mentalism II Spazju Kreattiv, curated by Andrea Hilger and Antka Hofmann, 2018 Valletta (Malta);
• Here3 Cavallerizza Reale, curated by Cavallerizza IrReale, 2018 Turin;
• V Biennale di Viterbo Palazzo dei Papi, curated by Piero Gagliardi, 2018 Viterbo;
• Monitor#1 Spazio Menexa, curated by Fabrizio Pizzuto, 2018 Rome;
• Dimensione Fragile Biblioteca Vallicelliana, curated by Paola Paesano and Jasmine Pignatelli, 2018 Rome;
• Ricognizioni. Dai Bocs Art i linguaggi del contemporaneo BoCs ArtMuseum, curated by Alberto Dambruoso, 2017 Cosenza;
• Re_Form 11° Biennale di Ostrale Ostrale Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst, curated by Andrea Hilger and Oliver Kratz, 2017 Dresden;
• Asyndeton - Equinozio d’Autunno Castello di Rivara, curated by Franz Paludetto, 2016 Rivara (TO);
• Tower of Babel Schema Project Gallery, curated by Mary Judge, 2016 New York;
• Fragili Eroi Museo Carlo Bilotti, curated by Alberto Dambruoso, 2016 Rome;
• Residenza BoCS BoCS, curated by Alberto Dambruoso, 2015 Cosenza;
• Pentamorf Hungarian Academy Palazzo Falconieri, curated by Pal Nemet, 2015 Rome;
• 14x14 Fondazione Exclusiva Area81, curated by Ass. AIAC, 2015 Rome;
• Off1c1na al Quadraro Gallery of Art Temple University, curated by Shara Wasserman and Tiziana Musi, 2014 Rome;
• 59+1 Premio Termoli Civic Gallery of Contemporary Art, curated by Achille Pace, 2014 Termoli;
• Baculus Palazzo Collicola Arti Visive, curated by Gianluca Marziani, 2014 Spoleto;
• Ginkgo - a project of Artistic Resilience Via dei Pisoni, curated by Valentina Fiore, 2014 Rome;
• Arte di Facciata Teatro Comunale di Corato, curated by C. Cipriani, A. Larrarte, L. Mabaro, 2014 Corato (BA);
• Limo – Land Art al Furlo Casa degli Artisti, Furlo Nature Reserve, curated by Alice Devecchi, 2014 S. Anna del Furlo (PU);
• Tuffo Torre di Mola, curated by ARIA [Artists’ Magazine], 2013 Formia (LT);
• C’era una volta una sola volta Galleria Wunderkammern, curated by ARIA [artists’ magazine], 2013 Rome;
• XLV Premio Vasto – Paths of Figuration Scuderie Palazzo D’Aragona, curated by Carlo Fabrizio Carli, 2012 Vasto;
• Quadrato Nomade Palazzo delle Esposizioni, curated by Ass. 100%periferia, 2012 Rome;
• Cinquanta % Art-Lab Contemporary Art, curated by Lapo Simeoni and Luca Grechi, 2012 Grosseto;
• Il cielo in una stanza / Space Metropoliz – the first relics Casa dell’Architettura, curated by Silvia Litardi and Giorgio De Finis, 2011 Rome;
• Linguaggi e Personaggi – stories between sign and word, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy of the University of Tor Vergata and Galleria Arte e Pensieri, curated by Francesca Tuscano, 2011 Rome;
• Auto/Portrait Gallerie Jeune Création, curated by Portrait la Galerie, 2010 Paris;
• 24x24 Galleria Opera Unica and Studio Abate, curated by Takeaway Gallery, 2010 Rome;
• Ab ovo – at the origin of form Atelier Claudio Abate Rome and Scuderie Aldobrandini, curated by Alessandra Caponi and Flavio Alivernini, 2009 Rome–Frascati;
• La falce e il martello – iron symbols Experimental Museum of Contemporary Art, curated by Daniele Arzenta, Giorgia Calò and Roberto Gramiccia, 2008 L’Aquila;
• Europa Express Laboratorio Incontri d’Arte, curated by Antonello Rubini, 2007 Rome;
• Progetto Atelier Albornoz Palace Hotel, curated by Bruno Aller, 2006 Spoleto;
• Interferenze – 50th Premio Termoli (first prize winner) Civic Gallery of Contemporary Art, curated by Carlo Fabrizio Carli, 2005 Termoli;
• Figure - Artists in the Archive Central State Archive, curated by Carlo Fabrizio Carli, 2005 Rome;
• Premio Sabaudia – Ferruccio Ferrazzi former Post Office building, curated by Carlo Fabrizio Carli, 2005 Sabaudia (LT);
• Hommage a Vlado Gotovac Klovicevi Dvori Gallery, curated by Ass. I Diagonali and Jasminka Poklecki Stosic, 2004 Zagreb (Croatia);
• Frequentazioni Galleria Arte e Pensieri, curated by Bruno Aller, 2004 Rome;
• Umejetnici Rima Lipiku – artists of Rome to the city of Lipik Multimedia Center Galleria Grada, curated by Ass. I Diagonali, 2004 Lipik (Croatia);
• Una mostra rotonda Teatro della Rotonda 6th bridge, Laurentino district, curated by Roberto Gramiccia, 2004 Rome;
• C.R.R.A.C. – Roman Centers for Contemporary Art Research Galleria Arte e Pensieri, curated by Bruno Aller, 2003 Rome;
• Arte e Pensieri Galleria Arte e Pensieri, curated by Bruno Aller, 2003 Rome