Artist from Italy
Biography
Francesca Mele was born in the province of Crotone (Calabria, Italy) and later moved to Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), where she attended the State Art Institute for Ceramics. In Florence, she collaborated with prominent companies in the sector, combining decorative work with painting, and worked in some of the most prestigious workshops of Florentine masters.
She participated in collective exhibitions, earning major awards. For love, she relocated to Bari, where she resumed her inner and artistic exploration by attending the studios of established artists, driven by the need to advance toward new pictorial research.
Her art is oriented toward emotional analysis, inspired by the desire to reflect on the relationship between humanity, nature, and spirituality. The gestural expression of her brushwork and the textured, material quality of her colors imbue her works with a vivid and recognizable expressive power.
Artist Statement
“My name is Francesca Mele, and I was born in the province of Crotone in 1963. At the age of 14, I moved to Florence, where I attended the Art Institute for Ceramics. During this time, I began working in the art sector, alternating between decorative and pictorial work. Joining the workshops of Florentine masters gave me the opportunity to learn their techniques and work alongside them, enhancing my skills and developing a personal artistic vision.
In parallel, I began participating in collective exhibitions, receiving recognition and awards that helped consolidate my experience within the art scene.
At the age of 25, I had a significant experience with body painting, working alongside an illustrious artist of the time. This period allowed me to explore new forms of artistic expression and expand my creative background.
Later, I moved to Bari, where, after a temporary break, I felt the need to embark on a new phase of my inner and artistic research. This need led me to attend the art studios of established artists, a journey that allowed me to delve into innovative techniques and push the boundaries of my pictorial expression.
Passionate about nature and its colors, I love painting “en plein air”. However, when that is not possible, I also work from photographs or by creating setups in my studio. I prefer an Impressionist technique, which allows for expressive speed and enables me to complete my paintings in just a few sessions.
Recently, I have participated in live painting competitions and contests, winning first place and receiving special mentions. Additionally, I have taken part in several collective exhibitions, further enriching my artistic journey”. – Francesca Mele.
CRITICAL REVIEW: In the three works “Fragments of Identity 1-2-3”, three women inhabit the space of water. Water is synonymous with birth, but also with renewal.
I can discern different phases: immersion, where the face seems to slightly change—with subtle imperfections at the height of the nose and mouth—through direct contact with the water; the second phase is a state of temporary suspension in search of balance; the third and final phase symbolizes a rebirth, where the face is strongly turned upward and much more defined.
I appreciate the choice of rendering the water in a teal hue, which becomes a metaphor for an inner space. The tones of the water and the women’s skin tones create a chromatic dialogue—a dance where the hair color carves itself into an earthly dimension of resilience. It is as if it represents a silent ability to remain, to breathe within change, and to transform fragility into a regenerative strength.
Francesca Mele’s painting develops within a lyrical figuration in which technique and emotional sensitivity find an immediate and vibrant synthesis. In her works, the fluid, rapid, and deeply instinctive brushstroke of Impressionist ancestry builds intense surfaces of light and color, where the textured, material mark becomes an instrument of psychological expression. The result is a style of painting suspended between realism and poetic dissolution.
Francesca Mele thus develops a pictorial research oriented toward the emotional analysis of existence, where the matter of color becomes a vehicle for introspection and spirituality. – Dr. Carmela Loiacono, Art Curator
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INTERVIEW with Francesca Mele
Carmela Loiacono talks with Francesca Mele who took part in the International Art Exhibition NEW HORIZONS – Authenticity, Resilience and Renewal in Matera, at Casa Cava, from March 21 to 27, 2026.
Carmela Loiacono – In the series “Frammenti d’identità 1, 2 e 3” the female body moves through water in a process that seems to unfold between immersion, suspension, and rebirth. How did this narrative by phases come about, and to what extent is it linked to a personal experience or to a more universal reflection on identity?
Francesca Mele – In the series “Frammenti d’identità 1, 2 e 3,” water, interacting with the female body, portrays a narrative that tends to express a series of contrasting emotions and feelings. What I wanted to depict stems from a reflection on our “identity.”
This is captured through the color which, unfurling across the canvas with a series of fluid and enveloping brushstrokes, brings to light that fragmentation, deconstruction, and destruction which, in my view, is currently affecting the contemporary human experience.
Carmela Loiacono – Water in your works is not just a natural element, but an inner space, a place of transformation and regeneration, symbolizing both internal and external birth. How do you work with color and matter to make this intimate and invisible dimension visible?
Francesca Mele – Water, the primordial element of our life, surrounds us both externally and internally. It tends to make the intimate visible—rendering what is unseen into a celebration that offers countless points of reflection: life and death, light and darkness, positive and negative. These elements have always represented, both in sacred and pagan iconography, opposing yet simultaneously united forces.
Through water, one can discover and represent the beginning and the end of all things, eternity, completeness, divinity, and more. In my creations, I sometimes use color instinctively, layering the hues with overlapping tones and dynamic gestures that allow me to achieve that sense of depth and beauty.
Carmela Loiacono – The face alters, dissolves, and then recomposes, yet certain elements, like the feminine symbol of the earring, remain constant. How important is it for you to maintain a stable core of authenticity within a process of continuous change?
Francesca Mele – In a fast-paced world that leaves no room for settling because everything changes instantly, having fixed anchor points is very important. These points allow me never to lose sight of the “authenticity” that defines my work amidst the continuous and inexorable rush of life. Therefore, the earring represents that element of uniqueness and consistency in my artistic practice. Within it, a series of struggles that have primarily involved women come together. For me, it symbolizes feminist movements, the denunciation of violence against women, and gender equality.
Carmela Loiacono – Your painting suggests that vulnerability is not a weakness, but a necessary condition for transformation. Looking to the future, what new artistic paths do you feel compelled to explore to continue this research between identity, body, and spirituality?
Francesca Mele – I always feel in a state of continuous transformation, which stems from a sense of dissatisfaction every time a series comes to an end! Looking ahead, I feel the need to push my research toward essentiality, working on abstraction and the reduction of form in both figurative and landscape compositions, while harmonizing light, colors, and tones capable of generating emotions. In a present scarred by wars and destruction, I feel the need to maintain a subtle dimension of denunciation, yet one that is oriented toward balance and positivity.
