Guglielmo Castelli: Forbes 30 Under 30 on Painting, Melancholy, and Theatrical Space

Guglielmo Castelli (Turin, 1987) was named by Forbes in 2016 among the thirty most influential European visual artists under thirty. He studied theatrical set design at Accademia Albertina in Turin. His recent exhibition "Goodmorning Bambino" at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin (2018) featured canvases arranged like theatrical wings, creating an immersive environment. Castelli works primarily in oil, moving from acrylic in 2014. His figurative painting explores melancholy, the space between moments, and the relationship between figure and ground. He cites influences including Balthus, Bruegel, Vuillard, and contemporary artists Louise Bourgeois, Berlinde De Bruyckere, and Anna Uddenberg. His titles often derive from literature. Castelli has also worked as an illustrator for Vogue Italia. He participated in group shows at Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris), Parkview Museum (Singapore), and Artissima (Turin). He describes painting as a "family lexicon" and a means to transform melancholy into scenic possibility. His work treats the human body as landscape, expanding the background to "explode" narrative onto the figures. He sees the boundary between figuration and abstraction as fluid. Castelli plans to further expand painting beyond the canvas surface.