Maria Teresa Ortoleva is an Italian artist based in London. Her research-based art practice traverses science and mental wellbeing, creating data-based sculptures, installations and diagrammatic drawings of our human mind, our thinking processes and the cognitive power of our intimate imaginative experiences. Her work gives form to gallery exhibitions, site-specific commissions, interdisciplinary collaborations, community and education workshops. She is represented in Milan by Luca Tommasi gallery, and has been commissioned by UCL Public Art as a Trellis Arbor artist 2023 for UCL's new Institute of Neurology/Dementia Research Institute.

EDUCATION
  • 2014
    • MA (Distinction) Fine Arts, The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London
  • 2012
    • BA (Honours) Fine Arts, Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milano

 

    • SOLO EXHIBITIONS
    • 2023
      • Forthcoming Luca Tommasi, Milano
    • 2018
    • Rêverie, Luca Tommasi, Milano. Curated by Stefano Castelli
    • 2016
    • Triumphus Visionis, Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano. Curated by Federico Giani

     

      • GROUP EXHIBITIONS
      • 2023
        • Side Step, SET Ealing, London
      • Colour and Poetry, The Slade School of Fine Art, London
      • 2022
        • Il grande brivido, Fondazione Rivolidue, Palazzo Doria, Imperia (IT)
      • 2021
      • Aleph for Accessart, online exhibition and auction, Aleph Contemporary, London
      • Close to Home, JGM Gallery, London
      • 2020
      • Narcisi Fragili, Ventura Projects, Salone del Mobile 2019, Milano (postponed due to Covid19)
      • Bocconi Art Gallery, Bocconi University, Milano
      • 2019
      • Recreational Grounds VI, Aylesbury Estate, London
      • Franca Rame 90 Anni di Spettacolo, MusAlab, Verona
      • The Nomenclature of Colour, The Slade School of Fine Art, London
      • A Misura d'Uomo, Luca Tommasi Arte Contemporanea, Milano
      • 2018
      • Avevo Vent'Anni, Premio Cramum 2018, Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Varedo. Curated by Sabino Maria Frassà
      • Contexto 2018, Casa Testori c/o Edolo. Curated by Davide Dall'Ombra
      • Contribution to d/UMP, Test Space Spike Island, Bristol
      • 2017
      • 18° Premio Cairo, Palazzo Reale, Milano
      • ArtVerona Art Fair, Luca Tommasi Arte Contemporanea, Verona
      • E la luce fu. Premio San Fedele 2017, Galleria San Fedele, Milano
      • 2016
      • Creative Energy, Palazzo Regione Lombardia, Milano
      • 2015
        • Triumphus Visionis, Università Cattolica UCSC di Milano, site specific commission for the Stair of Honour, for Expo Milano 2015. Presented at the Vatican Pavillion at Expo
        • Signature Art Prize Gala and Awards Night, London
        • 2014
          • ACTION : SPACE, Fondazione Rivolidue, Milano
          • Christie's Multiplied Art Fair, Christie's, London
          • MA/MFA Fine Art Degree Show, The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London
          • MA and Other Postgraduates, Atkinson Gallery, Somerset
          • From Voyeur(ism) to Exhibition(ism), In the House, London. Curated by Suzanne Fulbrook
      • 2013
        • Interim Show, The Slade Woburn Research Centre, UCL, London
        • Response-Call-Response, Arcade, London
        • Leverhulme Arts Scholars Exhibition, Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire
        • Cinema as Object, The Slade Woburn Research Centre, UCL, London. Curated by Jayne Parker and Matilde Nardelli
      • 2012
        • For the Invisible Universe, Osservatorio Astronomico di Merate e San Carpoforo, Milano. Collaboration with Brera Astronomic Observatory
        • The Places of Images BA Degree Show, Brera Academy of Fine Art, Milano
      • 2011
        • What I Call Home, Studio Maffei at MIA Fair 2011. Curated by Fabio Castelli
      • 2010
        • Il risparmio con gli occhi degli artisti, Palazzo Mezzanotte, stock exchange palace, Milano
    • AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES
      • 2023
        • Trellis Arbor Artist 2023, commissioned by UCL Public Art for UCL's new Institute of Neurology/Dementia Research Institute (IoN/DRI)
      • 2022-2023
        • King's Research Associate, Department of Informatics, King's College London, London
      • 2019/2020 – extended 2021
      • King's Artist in Residence, Department of Informatics, King's College London, London
      • 2019
      • London Creative Network, European funded programme, Space, London
      • 2018
      • Special Award Ventura Projects for Cramum 2018, Ventura projects Milano
      • 2nd Prize, Premio Cramum 2018, Milano
      • 2017
      • Finalist Premio Cairo 2017, Cairo Editore, Milano
      • Finalist Premio San Fedele 2017, Galleria San Fedele, Milano
      • 2015
        • Finalist Signature Art Prize, London
      • 2013
        • Leverhulme Arts Scholarship for young artists residency at Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge
      • 2012
        • Gay Clifford Award for Outstanding Women Students, UCL, London
        • Incentive Award for Art Research (III edition), Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milano
      • 2011
        • Incentive Award for Art Research (II edition), Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milano
        • Honorable Mention National Competition for Art Research, Società Umanitaria, Milano
      LECTURING, COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION
      • 2023
      • Art Tutor, The Slade Summer School, UCL, London
        • Artist Facilitator, Portugal Prints, BWW Mind, London
      • Art Tutor, WAES Westminster Council, Westminster London
      • 2022
      • Storytelling with Data, guest lecture, CUSP London (Centre for Urban Science and Progress London), Kings College London (KCL), London
      • Masterclass, Aspex, Portsmouth
        • Artist Facilitator, Portugal Prints, BWW Mind, London
      • Art Tutor, WAES Westminster Council, Westminster London
      • 2021
        • Playmat, collaborative drawing workshop, Chisenhale Gallery, London
      • Artist Facilitator, Portugal Prints, BWW Mind, London
      • Artist Facilitator, Crisis, Brent London
      • Art Tutor, WAES Westminster Council, Westminster London
      • 2020
      • Art Lecturer, Milton Keynes College, Milton Keynes
      • Mapping Lockdown, workshop, Milton Keynes College, Milton Keynes
      • Art Tutor, Learning and Enterprise College Bexley, London
      • 2019
      • Visualising Mind Data, guest lecture, CUSP London (Centre for Urban Science and Progress London), Kings College London (KCL), London
      • Art Tutor, The Slade Summer School, UCL, London
      • 2018
      • Art Tutor, The Slade Summer School, UCL, London
      • 2017
      • Mirror Walk, workshop, Milton Keynes College, Milton Keynes
      • 2016
      • Visiting Artist Lecture, to Art Education bachelor students, Pedagogy and Education department, Università di Milano Bicocca (UniMiB), Milano
      • Mirror Walk, public engagement workshop with the visitors of Triumphus Visionis, for the finissage of the exhibition and Giornata del Contemporaneo AMACI (Italian Museums Association), Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano
      • Triumphus Visionis, collaboration to a series of workshop for primary schools visiting the exhibition, produced and delivered by Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro's Education Team, Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano
      • Mirror Walk, workshop with the visitors of Space Open Studios, [Space] Studios, Haymerle Road, London
        Art Tutor, The Slade Summer School, UCL, London
        Research Seminar on Bruno Munari, University of West London (UWL), London, with Matilde Nardelli
        Mirror Walk, workshop, Milton Keynes College, Milton Keynes
        Mirror Walk, public engagement workshop, produced with students from UCA Farnham University BA Fine Art programme, at London Southbank
      • 2015
        • The Multiverse, workshop series with Cambridge University Summer School students from China, Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire
        • Art Tutor, The Slade Summer School, UCL, London
        • Memory and Failure, Drawing Room, London. Research presentation with curator Andrew De Brun
        • Visiting Artist Lecture to Circuit Cambridge young people group, Wysing Arts Centre and Kettle's Yard, Cambridge
        • The Multiverse, Spring Half Term family workshop series, Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire
      • 2014
        • Artist Talk at The Slade Foundation, The Slade Summer School, London
      PUBLICATIONS
      • 2022
      • Il grande brivido, exhibition catalogue, Fondazione Rivolidue, 2022. Text by Angelica Ainio
      • Thoughtscapes - Artist in Focus, Renèe Pfister Art and Gallery Consultancy, September 2022
      • 2021
      • Close to Home, exhibition catalogue, JGM gallery, London. Text by Mary George
      • Art Voice 5: Maria Teresa Ortoleva, in ArtBasiC, by Sofia Castoldi and Ludovica Simone, London, UK, 05/2021.
      • Recreational Grounds, catalogue, London, UK
      • 2020
      • Rêverie, Luca Tommasi, Milano, IT. Monographic catalogue. Text by Stefano Castelli
      • 2019
      • Comprendere l'esperienza immaginativa, in Hestetica magazine, vol. 32, by Eleonora Gargantini, Milano, January 2019, pp.182-185.
      • 2018
      • Avró sempre vent’anni, Editrice Quinlan, p.55. Premio Cramum exhibition catalogue
      • ‘Un sogno ad occhi aperti. Maria Teresa Ortoleva a Milano’, in Artribune, by Margherita Zanoletti, 15 July 2018
      • ‘I sogni di plexiglass di Maria Teresa Ortoleva’, in ARTE, Milano, July 2018
      • ‘Maria Teresa Ortoleva. Rêverie’, in Artelab, by Luca Maffeo, Milano, IT, 05/07/2018
      • ‘5 Emerging Contemporary Artists From Milan to Know’, in the culture trip, by Raphaele Varley, 14 May 2018
      • 2017
      • 222 Emerging Artists Worth Investing In, Exibart Edizioni, Milano, p.155
      • 18° Premio Cairo. The New Protagonists of Contemporary Arts, Cairo Editore, Milano, pp.30-31. Prize Catalogue. text by Stefano Castelli
      • E la luce Fu, Silvana Editoriale, Milano, pp.24,56-57,65,76. Prize Catalogue. Text by Stefano Castelli
      • 'Chi sono i 5 milanesi selezionati tra i finalisti del Premio Cairo' in Corriere della Sera Milano, by Chiara Vanzetto, 9 September 2017
      • 'La pratica eclettica di Maria Teresa Ortoleva' in Arte, by Stefano Castelli, August 2017, p.84
      • '"L'opera d'arte in primo piano". Il premio alla creatività under 40' in Corriere della Sera, di Stefano Bucci, 13 July 2017
      • 'Venti campioni della nuova ricerca italiana' in Arte, July 2017, pp.64-65
      • 'Of the branching out of immaginative ideas' in Art Maze Mag, Curated Selection of Works by Kristin Hjellegjerde, London, February 2017, p.92
      • 2016
      • Creative Energy. Arte per il rinnovabile, Manfredi Edizioni, Milano, cover and pp.32-33. Exhibition catalogue. Text by Elena di Raddo and Ginevra Addis
      • ‘Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro a Milano. Una performance di Maria Teresa Ortoleva nella Project Room’ in Artribune, 13 Ottobre 2016
        ‘Triumphus Visionis di Maria Teresa Ortoleva’ in Blasting News, by Valentina Cavera, 26 September 2016
      • 'Triumphus Visionis', Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano. Exhibition catalogue. Text by Federico Giani
      • 2015
        • 'Action : Space' in Rivolidue 002.2015, Fondazione Rivolidue, Milano, pp.4-15
        • 'Triumphus Visionis (Bestiario)' in Tutto ho posto sotto i tuoi piedi, Università Cattolica UCSC di Milano, Milano, pp.55-58 Exhibition catalogue. Text by Ginevra Addis
        • 'MariaTeresa Ortoleva: (P ∩ M → I) Perception Intersecting Memory Produces Imagination' in Young Space, by Kate Mothes, 15 February 2015
      • 2014
        • 'Action : Space', Fondazione Rivolidue, video interview with Edward Winters and Derek Matravers, 20 September 2014
        • 'Interpretare Bergson' in Milano Finanza, 11 September 2014
        • '7 Fresh Favorites: The Slade' in Young Space, by Kate Mothes, 22 June 2014
        • Slade Graduate Research, The Slade Press, UCL, London
        • Sloud, The Slade Press, UCL, London, track 40
        • Annals of the Twenty-Ninth Century, An Endless Supply for Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire, p. 2
      • 2013
        • Slade Graduate Research, The Slade Press, UCL, London
        • Recipe Book, The Slade Press, UCL, London, pp.56-57
      • 2010
        • Il Risparmio con gli Occhi degli Artisti, Nomos Edizioni, Milano. Exhibition Catalogue