Scxrlett

Scxrlett

Translated automatically from Italian ·

The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.
Alberto Giacometti
About the artist

Rossella Montanari, illustrator and visual artist. Through images, I explore the imaginary, giving shape to ideas, suggestions, and stories.

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Artist statement

For my work, I use Adobe Photoshop, striving to preserve the material and manual aspect through the use of textures and collage-inspired compositions. The goal is to create images that, despite being digitally created, retain the physicality and aesthetics of traditional techniques. In my work, I have chosen to primarily depict animals. Through them, I explore visual narrative and the possibility of building stories, emotions, and relationships without the human figure. Animals thus become universal characters, capable of speaking directly and immediately to the viewer.

Il ciclo che ci unisce

Il ciclo che ci unisce

2026 · 31 X 18

A visual story about the cycle of life and the bonds that unite different living beings. (Unpublished illustrated book; above are photos of the final project submitted as a thesis project) is conceived as a reversible book, with two possible starting points. The reader can begin on either side and follow the stories of the respective protagonists. As they read, they encounter visual passages that connect the two narratives. The structure invites readers to turn the book over and discover the other story, creating a reading experience that connects parallel paths. (36 pages)

Il reale oltre

Il reale oltre

2026 · A4

Short story written for Barzak Magazine (Volume No. 5, September 2026). The story stems from the fact that as a child, I was convinced that sea animals also swam in space, not because I didn't believe they could only live in water, but because I saw the sky as an extension of the world I already knew. For me, it wasn't a different or unknown place. Today I know that my belief was a continuation of reality: that's why there could be real animals in space, like whales. As if the sea and the sky were connected, and the same things could simply continue to exist higher up. Today I know that space is not a sea, but I still look at it this way: as something that doesn't interrupt reality, but expands it, a continuation/something related to the world we know and not something completely different and unknown.

Squeezed in

Squeezed in

2026 · 10x21

Silent book created for the ZittiZItti festival in Fidenza on May 22-24, 2026. (Festival theme: limits and boundaries) Laporello format Each space between the folds is identical and accommodates a different animal. The smallest inhabit the space effortlessly, but as you move further, the animals become increasingly compressed, limited by the size of the page. When the space becomes unbearable, the largest animal breaks the margin and expands beyond the structure of the book, finally finding a suitable size. Not everyone can fit in the same space; fitting too much can mean getting lost. Each division between the animals is created by the folds, resulting in the accordion-like effect of the book once printed

Tra il mito e l'evasione

Tra il mito e l'evasione

2025

A comic strip that depicts a fracture between movement and meaning, juxtaposing a disconnected contemporary dance with the figure of the satyr, a symbol of full and rooted expression. Bodies move, but they do so to fill a void: they seek escape, they pursue a freedom that remains unattainable. Gesture thus becomes repetition, surface, simulation. The satyr, on the other hand, seeks nothing: he is already part of what he experiences. This is why his dance is not escape but presence, not movement but language. The text suggests that every authentic gesture arises from an inner voice. When this is missing, dance loses meaning and is reduced to a body that moves without expression. The lines between myth and reality blur, creating a stage where the past dialogues with the present. The figure of the satyr becomes a reminder of a deeper dimension of existence, where every movement is a reflection of the soul. Her dance invites us to rediscover the beauty of being authentic, to free ourselves from the chains of conformity, and to rediscover the original meaning of movement: not simply a physical exercise, but an expression of the truest self.

ArchiveEnter the archive14 works
List of plates
  1. 01Il ciclo che ci unisce
  2. 02Il reale oltre
  3. 03Squeezed in
  4. 04Tra il mito e l'evasione
Biography

I currently live in my hometown, Brescia

My artistic journey began at the Art School and continued at the Academy of Fine Arts in Verona, where I deepened my study of painting and illustration. During my studies, I developed an ever-growing interest in visual experimentation and the search for a personal language.

Education

  • 2022Diploma from the I.I.S. Tartaglia-Olivieri, Art High School of Brescia, majoring in Figurative Arts
  • 2026Degree in Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Verona
  • 2026Beginning of the Master's program in Animation & Game Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Verona
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