MARIA RITA AZZARO

ARTIST BIO

Maria Rita Azzaro, 1983, is an artist based in Rome, Italy. She started painting when she was seven, as a self-taught artist, reproducing the figurative art of the Renaissance. She later attended the drawing school at the atelier of Adriano Fida where she learn the technique of chiaroscuro, and continued her studies in the experimental course of materic painting.

Azzaro’s works are deeply personal, creative, and tied to sustainability. They tell a story of environmental awareness and gender equality through the use of various materials, such as fabrics, old clothes, and paper, applied to canvases. “Art to live by” has always been the artist’s approach in her creations. The technique of material painting allows her to achieve a high level of three-dimensionality in the work, almost to the point of resembling a sculpture applied to the canvas. This, combined with the unique feature of being able to “touch” the painting, astonishes the viewer and engages other senses beyond sight.

Although Azzaro primarily works on commission, she has exhibited in various group shows (notably the exhibition “The Woman: The Body, The Mind, The Heart” at the Fijlkam Museum in Rome) and curated her own solo exhibition, “Meravigliosa-Mente.” Since 2023, she has been teaching ‘creative watercolor,’ organizing workshops and art events in Rome, and actively collaborating with an international yoga school for retreats in Italy and abroad, where the approach to art is presented as a new form of meditation and psychophysical well-being. In January 2025 she opened her art studio in Rome.


ARTIST STATEMENT

Welcome to my artistic journey. I am Maria Rita, a mixed media painter driven by a passion for sustainability, creativity, and gender equality. My work is deeply personal, weaving recycled materials into textured masterpieces that tell a story of environmental consciousness and the fight for gender parity.

In my latest collection, I reimagined Greek mythology, inspired by my fascination with ancient tales and their relevance today. Through modern representations of timeless goddesses, I aim to create art that is both a visual feast and a reflection of my commitment to a more equitable and sustainable world. Each piece invites you to touch and explore its textures, offering a truly immersive experience.

One of my favorite muses is female figures, with faces partly hidden behind a patchwork of dress and hand-torn paper. Covering the eyes symbolizes the difficulty of recognizing the soul of others, as the eyes are known to be "the mirror of the soul." No one can fully understand the life impressions carried in the eyes—the sufferings, struggles, and even diseases. Each life experience marks our everyday life, and women often have a different and harsher life perspective compared to men today.

This concept is clear in the "Life" painting, and in most of the works of that collection, where we find the connection between a woman, a mother, and nature. The same thought guided the "Proserpina" and "Minerva" paintings: history teaches us that to become free, women need to embrace their immense universal potential.

In addition to these works, I create abstract art pieces designed to enhance interior spaces, blending aesthetic beauty with meaningful storytelling, and watercolours to express my love for the urban landscape.