Luigi Ontani (Montovolo, 1943) è un artista italiano noto per il suo approccio eclettico e simbolico, che spazia tra fotografia, scultura, performance e pittura, spesso giocando con il mito, l’identità e la trasformazione. La sua opera è caratterizzata da un uso intenso dell’autoritratto, in cui si traveste e si reinventa in figure storiche, letterarie o fantastiche, esplorando il confine tra realtà e finzione.
In 1996, he took part in the first edition of Art to Art, realizzando un progetto per Montalcino, un intervento che si inserisce nel suo continuo dialogo con la storia e il territorio. Con il suo linguaggio visionario e teatrale, Ontani continua a essere una figura di riferimento nell’arte contemporanea italiana e internazionale.
Luigi Ontani (Montovolo, 1943) is one of the main exponents of the Transavanguardia. After frequenting the Turin art scene, he developed a strong interest in literature, from which he derived his personal vision of art. His artistic expression is heterogeneous and is characterised by the fusion of symbolic suggestions and expressionism, ranging from painting to photography to the creation of objects and installations. His photographic self-portraits, in which Ontani impersonates historical, mythological and literary figures, are famous. He made numerous trips to the East, from which he drew new insights and expressive stimuli, as well as artistic techniques. An experimenter and non-conformist, Ontani fuses irony and narcissism in an interweaving of sacred and profane, myth and fable, oriental and occidental culture. He has exhibited in major museums and galleries worldwide, from the Guggenheim to the Centre Pompidou, from the Frankfurt Kunstverein to the Reina Sofia. He has participated in an impressive number of biennials, from Venice to Sydney to Lyon. There are numerous artist's books and monographs.