Rosario Oliva, a historically acknowledged artist, was born in Naples in 1965, a city of art and deep passions. He combined his love for painting and drawing with his studies, first attending the Naples Institute of Art and later the IED European Institute of Design in Rome, specializing in illustration. It was in the Italian capital that he began his career as an illustrator, creating illustrations, storyboards, animations, and shooting boards for major advertising agencies and production companies in Italy and across Europe, contributing to some of the most important advertising campaigns (Nissan, Alitalia, Telecom, etc.).
Since 1997, he has explored the digital realm in its many forms, including illustration, photo retouching, 3D imagery, and animation. Formerly the creative director and digital artist at Olivastudio, he now holds the same role at Pixelheads Studio and serves as a professor of digital animation at NABA, the New Academy of Fine Arts. After many years immersed in the digital world, he felt the urge to get his hands dirty with paint again, to touch his creations and breathe in their scent, leading him back to painting.
In the past two years, he has participated in numerous exhibitions, both group and solo, on national and international levels, earning several awards.
Rosario Oliva’s painting moves between figurative and informal styles, employing a variety of artistic mediums, from acrylic on canvas and charcoal on cardboard to oil and watercolor, occasionally incorporating digital elements.
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Rosario Oliva, artista storicizzato, nasce a Napoli nel 1965. Città d’arte e di forti passioni. Ha legato l’amore per la pittura ed il disegno ai suoi studi, prima frequentando l'Istituto d'Arte di Napoli e poi lo IED Istituto Europeo di Design di Roma, specializzandosi nel settore illustrativo. È nella Capitale che inizia a lavorare come illustratore, realizzando illustrazioni, storyboard, animazioni e shootingboards per conto delle principali agenzie pubblicitarie e delle società di produzione italiane ed europee, firmando alcune delle più importanti campagne pubblicitarie (Nissan, Alitalia, Telecom, ecc…).
Dal 1997 inizia a dedicarsi al digitale nelle sue molteplici forme: illustrazioni, fotoritocco, 3D image e animazione. Direttore creativo e artista digitale di Olivastudio prima, attualmente di Pixelheads Studio e professore di digital animation alla NABA New Academy of Fine Arts, dopo tanti anni al servizio del digitale, ha sentito il bisogno di sporcarsi di nuovo le mani con i colori, toccare quello che crea e sentirne l'odore. Ecco perché è ritornato a dipingere.
Negli ultimi due anni ha partecipato a numerose esposizioni, sia collettive che personali, nazionali ed internazionali, con l’assegnazione di alcuni premi.
La pittura di Rosario Oliva si muove tra il figurativo e l’informale, i suoi strumenti di espressione artistica variano dall’acrilico su tela al carboncino su cartone, passando per l’olio e l’acquerello, con un passaggio di tanto in tanto nel digitale.
EXHIBITIONS
2020
I NUOVI ANNI '20
collective exhibition in Genoa from June 4th to 18th
Palazzo Ducale Fondazione per la Cultura
Curator: Divulgarti - Loredana Trestin
2021
L'IMMEDIATA IMPRESSIONE
collective exhibition in Udine from August 20th to September 2th
ARTtime gallery
Curator: Luca Franzil
2022
ROSARIO OLIVA PERSONALE
personal exhibition in Rocca Priora Rome from February 12th to June 11th
Museo Benedetto Robazza
Curator: Eleonora Gregorio
2023
ARTE PADOVA FAIR
in Padova from November 10th to 13h 2023
in Padova from November 10th to 13h 2023
VISIONS
collective exhibition in Cremona from December 1th to 12th 2023
AdafaLab Gallery
Curator: Simone Fappanni
collective exhibition in Cremona from December 1th to 12th 2023
AdafaLab Gallery
Curator: Simone Fappanni
VISIONS
collective exhibition in Brescia from December 14th to 21th 2023
Solis Art Gallery
Curator: Simone Fappanni
collective exhibition in Brescia from December 14th to 21th 2023
Solis Art Gallery
Curator: Simone Fappanni
2024
VERNICE ART FAIR
In Forlì from March 15th to 17h 2024
In Forlì from March 15th to 17h 2024
IDEAZIONI
collective exhibition in Rome from May 18th to June 7th 2024
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
collective exhibition in Rome from May 18th to June 7th 2024
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
CREAZIONI
collective exhibition in Rome from June 13th to19th 2024
Angelica Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
collective exhibition in Rome from June 13th to19th 2024
Angelica Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
II BIENNALE DI MANTOVA
collective exhibition in Mantova from May 26th to June 9th 2024
Museo F. Gonzaga
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
collective exhibition in Mantova from May 26th to June 9th 2024
Museo F. Gonzaga
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
50 PROPOSTE D’INVESTIMENTO PER I COLLEZIONISTI
collective exhibition in Mantova from May 26th to June 9th 2024
Museo F. Gonzaga
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
collective exhibition in Mantova from May 26th to June 9th 2024
Museo F. Gonzaga
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
COLLECTIONIST GALLERY
collective exhibition in Rome from June 24th to 28th 2024
Palazzo della Cancelleria Vaticana
Curator: Archivio Storico Casa d’aste
collective exhibition in Rome from June 24th to 28th 2024
Palazzo della Cancelleria Vaticana
Curator: Archivio Storico Casa d’aste
ORIZZONTI
collective exhibition in Dubrovnik from October 16th to 27th 2024
Palazzo Sponza
Curator: Svjetlana Lipanovic – Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
collective exhibition in Dubrovnik from October 16th to 27th 2024
Palazzo Sponza
Curator: Svjetlana Lipanovic – Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
V BIENNALE D’ARTE DI BARCELLONA
collective exhibition in Barcelona from October 25th to 27th 2024
MEAM
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
collective exhibition in Barcelona from October 25th to 27th 2024
MEAM
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
DIALOGO A DUE VOCI
exhibition in Rome from November 9th to 29th 2024
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Giulia Bonetti
exhibition in Rome from November 9th to 29th 2024
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Giulia Bonetti
ARTE PADOVA FAIR
in Padova from November 14th to 18h 2024
in Padova from November 14th to 18h 2024
II BIENNALE DELLA CREATIVITA DI FERRARA
collective exhibition in Ferrara from November 16th to 20th 2024
Fiera di Ferrara
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
collective exhibition in Ferrara from November 16th to 20th 2024
Fiera di Ferrara
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
2025
ARTE GENOVA FAIR
in Genoa from February 14th to 16h 2025
in Genoa from February 14th to 16h 2025
EXPO ARTE FAIR
in Montichiari from February 21th to 23th 2025
in Montichiari from February 21th to 23th 2025
HABITAT
exhibition in Florence from February 22th to March 7th 2025
OnArt Gallery
Curator: Romina Sangiovanni
exhibition in Florence from February 22th to March 7th 2025
OnArt Gallery
Curator: Romina Sangiovanni
RINASCENZE
exhibition in Florence from February 22th to March 6th 2025
Società delle Belle Arti - Circolo “Casa di Dante”
Curator: Raffaella Ferrari - Giancarlo Bonomo
exhibition in Florence from February 22th to March 6th 2025
Società delle Belle Arti - Circolo “Casa di Dante”
Curator: Raffaella Ferrari - Giancarlo Bonomo
2022
ROSARIO OLIVA PERSONALE
personal exhibition in Rocca Priora Rome from February 12th to June 11th
Museo Benedetto Robazza
Curator: Eleonora Gregorio
ROSARIO OLIVA PERSONALE
personal exhibition in Rocca Priora Rome from February 12th to June 11th
Museo Benedetto Robazza
Curator: Eleonora Gregorio
