ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Nicola Rotiroti's Anti-Narrative Paintings at KOU Gallery

exhibition · 2026-04-27

Nicola Rotiroti (born 1973 in Catanzaro, lives in Rome) presents a solo exhibition titled 'Tratto da una storia vera' at KOU Gallery in Rome. Despite the title, the show is deliberately anti-narrative, offering a sarcastic take on the current storytelling trend. The exhibition features hyperrealistic, romantic landscape paintings viewed from close range, blending lyricism with psychedelic and pop influences. A standout work, 'Mai pace,' depicts an impenetrable nature scene interrupted by an oblong monochrome patch that appears both as a real tear and a floating numinous apparition.

Key facts

  • Nicola Rotiroti was born in 1973 in Catanzaro and lives in Rome.
  • The exhibition is titled 'Tratto da una storia vera' (Based on a True Story).
  • The show is held at KOU Gallery in Rome.
  • The paintings are hyperrealistic landscapes viewed from close up.
  • The style incorporates psychedelic and pop elements.
  • A key painting is 'Mai pace' (Never Peace).
  • The work features an oblong monochrome patch interrupting a detailed nature scene.
  • The exhibition is described as anti-narrative and ironic toward storytelling rhetoric.

Entities

Artists

  • Nicola Rotiroti

Institutions

  • KOU Gallery
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Catanzaro

Sources