Nicoletta Ceccoli’s most recent collection of paintings is inspired by the interplay between bitterness and sweetness. Sweets, whether cakes or candy, are universal icons of pleasure and desire and generally regarded as positive, happy things. Ceccoli turns our assumptions on their side by using sweets to highlight the pleasurable aspects of these sugary treats while at the same time showing us the conflict we feel towards our appetites. Her paintings depict dreams of lovely things, but with darkness lurking just behind them, like the dark side of childhood nursery rhymes.
In “Eye Candy,” Ceccoli, further develops her world of beauty and darkness through the pleasure we find in sweets. Can one have too much a good thing? Despite the first impression of sweetness and light, upon further reflection, it becomes evident that the masterfully rendered sweets are a metaphor for desires that are not always best fulfilled.
Nicoletta Ceccoli is from San Marino and graduated from the Institute of Art in Urbino. Her paintings are beautiful and intriguing, consistently striking a delicate balance between disturbing and enchanting. At first glance, her work masquerades as youthful and innocent but a darker narrative inevitably unfolds. Each painting is rife with symbolism that sparks the viewer’s imagination and inspires a deeper level of consideration. Ceccoli’s work has been exhibited worldwide including solo exhibitions in the US, Italy and France.
