Rachele Maistrello (1986) is an Italian visual artist whose photography, video, and use of corporate documents create dream-like, expanded narratives exploring the intersections of body, landscape and science. Her work often explores human relationships with nature, time, and place, beginning with a research-based approach that evolves into fictional stories, blurring the lines between fact and imagination. Influenced by new materialism, her practice engages perception and archival imagery as sites for visual and conceptual investigation. She explores the discarded spaces of daily life through a performative photographic practice that alters perception, blurring reality to evoke a oneiric atmosphere.
Over the years she has exhibited in group and solo shows both in Italy and abroad, including MAXXI Museum, Italy (2025); PAC Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea Museum, Italy (2023); Scuderie del Quirinale, Italy (2023); Palazzo Reale, Italy; Kunsthalle Bratislava (2023); Benaki Museum, Greece (2022); Hamlet, Zürich (2020); Kunstverein Bielefeld, Germany (2020); Inside Out Museum, Beijing (2019), La Triennale, Milan (2018), Photo España, Madrid (2018), Fotomuseum Winterthur (2018), Manifesta 12, Palermo (2018), Unseen Fair, Amsterdam (2017); Museo Pecci, Prato (2017); Museo di Fotografia di Cinisello Balsamo (2012); MSUM Museum, Ljubljana (2013), Ca’ Rezzonico Museum, Venice (2013); BYOB, 54. Venice Biennale, Italy (2011).
Her works have been published in numerous books and magazines, including: Flash Art Italia, Vogue Italia, Wallpaper Magazine, De:Formal, Unseen Magazine, Self Publish Be Happy, Vice international and OFLuxo
PUBLIC COLLECTIONSMAXXI Museum, IT
MUFOCO, Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea di Cinisello Balsamo, IT
Inside Out Museum, Beijing CH
Regione Emilia Romagna Collection, IT
Galleria Civica di Modena, IT
Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, IT
Fondazione Orestiadi, IT
Museo Castromediano, Lecce, IT
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Unicredit Collection, IT
NCTM e l’Arte Collection, IT
Graziadei Collection, IT
Donata Pizzi, IT
EDUCATION
2011-2012 ZHDK, (photography department), Zürich, Switzerland
2006-2009 IUAV University, B.A. in Visual Art, Venice, italy
2008-2009 ENSBA, atelier Annette Messager, Paris, France
RESIDENCES / GRANTS / PRIZES
2025 Tomorrows Unicredit award (winner)
2024 Recipient of Italian Council research grant (winner)
2023 PAC Acquisition grant from Italian Ministry of Culture (winner)
2022 Lunigiana Call On-Site, IT (winner)
2022 PhMuseum Grant, (shortlisted)
2022 Lydia prize, IlLazzaretto Foundation (winner)
2022 Athens Photo Festival, GR (winner)
2021 Circulation(s) festival, Paris (winner)
2021 ESSENZIALE, Nctm e l’arte purchase award (winner)
2021 Images Gibellina Photofestival, IT/CH (winner)
2021 Art4future Unicredit prize, IT (winner)
2020 Emilia Romagna collection purchase award (winner)
2020 Nuovo Forno del Pane / Mambo Museum, Bologna, IT (artist residency)
2019 Inside Out Museum, Beijing, CH (artist residency)
2019 Movin’ Up prize, IT (winner, international section)
2018 I:project space, Bejing, CH (artist residency)
2018 Plat(t)form, Fotomuseum Winterthur, CH (nominated by Hester Keijser)
2017 ABITARE, commissioned by Triennale, MUFOCO and MiBACT, IT (winner)
2017 NCTM prize, IT (winner)
2016 Level 0, Fattori Museum, Artverona, IT (winner)
2015 Combat Prize, Livorno, IT (winner)
2014 6th European Month of Photography Berlin, DE (Honorable mention)
2014 Handle with care for pubic art project in Museum MG/MSUM, Ljubljana, SL (winner)
2013 Francesco Fabbri for contemporary arts, IT (shortlisted)
2013 Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Venice, IT (artist residency)
2013 Prima Visione, curated by Francesco Urbano Ragazzi, Cosenza, IT (artist residency)
2012 Careof/ViaFarini, Milan, IT (artist residency)
2011 Dolomiti Contemporanee, curated by Francesco Urbano Ragazzi, Sospirolo, IT (artist residency)
2010 Spot, curated by Francesco Ragazzi and Francesco Urbano, Giudecca Island, Venice, IT (artist residency)
2010 Connected flows, Foundation Jarfo, Kyoto, Japan (Nominated)
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Ordinary Wounds 平凡的伤痕, Artopia gallery, Milano, IT
2023 Blue Diamond, PAC Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea Museum, curated by Claudia D’Alonzo, Milano, IT
2023 Gao Yue, Galleria Eugenia Delfini, Rome, IT
2022 Blue Diamond (premio Graziadei), MAXXI Museum, Rome, IT
2021 Green Diamond (premio Graziadei), MAXXI Museum, Rome, IT
2019 Green Diamond, I: project space, curated by Antonie Angerer, Anna Eschbach, Beijing, CH
2019 The wonderful stories of Shijingshan park, Il Crepaccio Instagram show, curated by Caroline Corbetta, ONLINE
2018 Stella Maris, Pelagica gallery, curated by Laura Lecce, Milan, IT
2017 One of us, The cabinet, curated by Zoë De Luca, Museo Fattori, Livorno, IT
2016 Arcadia, Gelateria Sogni di Ghiaccio, Bologna, IT
2014 The History Within, MSUM / Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova, curated by Igor Spaniol, Ljubljana, SL
2013 Beyond Reasonable Evidence at Ca’ Rezzonico, curated by Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Ca’ Rezzonico Museum, Venice, IT
2010 Spot 3, curated by Francesco Urbano Ragazzi, Sala del Camino, Venice, IT
2008 Les cadres de l’apparence, curated by Carlo Werner and Bruno Dubreuil, IMMIX gallery, Paris, FR
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 XL>XS, curated by Stefano Coletto, Museo Ettore Fico, Torino (IT)
2025 Passaggi, Paesaggi; curated by C.Dall’Olio and Daniele De Luigi, AGO Fondation, Modena, (IT)
2025 The Large Glass, curated by Alex Da Corte, MAXXI Museum, Rome (IT)
2024 Nuove Avventure Sotterranee, curated by Alessandro Dandini De Sylva, MAXXI Museum, Roma (IT)
2023 OFF Bratislava Photography Festival, Kunsthalle Bratislava, (SK)
2023 Anatomy of a Museum, Biblioteca Bernardini, curated by Federica Chiocchetti, Lecce (IT)
2023 Biennale di Gubbio, Palazzo Ducale, curated by Spazio Taverna, Gubbio (IT)
2023 L’Italia è un desiderio, Collezioni Alinari e Mufoco, Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome (IT)
2023 Rencontres de la jeune Photographie international, Villa Pérochon, Niort (FR)
2023 TRE-DI-CI Sguardi sui musei della Lombardia, Palazzo Reale, Milano (IT)
2022 Universo Giovane, Palazzo Lombardia / Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, IT
2022 Circulation(s), Centrequatre, Paris, FR
2022 Athens Photo Festival, Benaki Museum, Athens, EL
2022 Vento, Festival Nomade di Film Immaginari, Filattiera (Lunigiana Land art), IT
2022 Productive Leisure, final project of Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Campo 21, Turin, IT
2022 Fotografia Italiana Contemporanea, Scalo Lambrate, Milano, IT
2021 The Edge Effect, curated by C.Bardelli Nonino and J. Anderson, Marsèll, Milano, IT
2021 Metafotografia (3), curated by M.Zanchi and S.Benaglia, Baco,Bergamo, IT
2021 Subterranean Virtualscapes, Virginia Bianchi Gallery, Milano, IT
2021 Fortuna instabile quasi possibile, curated by A. Tinterri, L. Zuccala, Rocca Malatestiana, Fano, IT
2020 In This Layered World, All Perception Is Real, Kunstverein Bielefeld, DE
2019 BAITBALL (01), curated by Pane project and more, Polignano a Mare, IT
2019 Breakfast on Ani Schulze, Hamlet, curated by Antonie Angerer and Anna Eschbach, Zürich, CH
2019 Open Studio, casa Masaccio, curated by Pietro Gaglianò and Serena Trinchero, San Giovanni Valdarno, IT
2019 Weird Domesticity (Gallery Delivery / Milan), Green Cube gallery curated by Silvio Lorusso, Milan, IT
2019 Stand by Me, Pelagica, curated by Laura Lecce, Milano, IT
2018 Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop, PhotoEspana, curated by Hester Keijser, Madrid, ES
2018 La torre maluttona, Monitor gallery, Rome, with Fondazione Malutta, IT
2018 Talpe. Well said, old mole, curated by Marta Cereda, Laura Lamonea, collateral event of Manifesta 12, Palermo, IT
2018 ArtcityPolis, curated by Angela Vettese with the coordination of Nicolas Ballario, spazio Carbonesi, Bologna, IT
2017 Unseen fair, Metronom stand, Amsterdam, NL
2017 Parallel Vienna, Fondazione Malutta booth, Vienna, AU
2017 Artverona fair, Metronom booth, IT
2017 Alchimie Culturali, curated by Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Venice, IT
2017 "Tutti la chiamano la casa delle ragazze", public art project, Mediterranea 18 Young Artists Biennale, Tirana, AL
2017 Passengers that come and go, by Fondazione Malutta, Tulla art center, Tirana, Albania, AL
2017 Collezione Malutta and Black market, Monitor gallery, Roma, IT
2016 Fondazione Malutta meets the Albanian Pavilion, Albanian Pavillion , 15. Biennale di Architettura , Arsenale, Venice, IT
2016 Versus, curated by Daniele de Luigi and Andrea Bruciati, Galleria Civica di Modena, Modena, IT
2016 Demanio Marittimo km 278, performance curated by Andrea Bruciati, Senigallia, IT
2016 Assula, curated by Zoe De Luca, The Workbench International, Milano, IT
2016 Memorie, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Villa Manin, Codroipo, IT
2016 Convivio, a cura di Caroline Corbetta, Fiera Milano City, Milano, IT
2016 Live studio#2, curated by Marcella Manni, Metronom gallery, Modena, IT
2015 Fourth edition of Francesco Fabbri prize for contemporary arts, Francesco Fabbri Foundation, Pieve di Soligo, IT
2015 Combat prize, Museo Civico G. Fattori ex Granai di Villa Mimbelli, Livorno, IT
2015 L'esprit de l'escalier, curated by Alice Ginaldi, Dimora Artica, Milan, IT
2015 ARTS, public art project curated by Francesca Lazzarini, Trieste, IT
2015 Rob Pruitt's flea market, Finding Goran Gocic by Fondazione Malutta, AplusA gallery, Venice, IT
2015 Se a Milano ci fosse il mare!, Careof, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milano, IT
2015 Le gallerie veneziane e la fotografia, casa dei Tre Oci, Venice, IT
2014 Artsiders, curated by Massimo Mattioli and Fabio De Chirico, National Gallery of Umbria, Perugia, IT
2014 10 years of MUFOCO, curated by Roberta Valtorta and Matteo Balduzzi, Triennale, Milano, IT
2014 Handle with care, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Venice, IT
2014 Evoluzione, curated by Marco Tagliafierro, Monotono gallery, Vicenza, IT
2013 Il crepaccio: da Venezia a Porta Venezia, curated by Caroline Corbetta, Milano, IT
2013 Second edition of Francesco Fabbri prize for contemporary arts, Francesco Fabbri Foundation, Pieve di Soligo, IT
2013 La Materia, curated by Marco Tagliafierro, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Venice, IT
2013 Southernity, curated by Francesco Urbano Ragazzi, Giudecca Island, Venice, IT
SELECTED PANELS AND LECTURES
2021 Artist talk with Piero Percoco, Lago Film Festival, IT
2021 Cura, in conversation with Gabi Scardi, Francesco Bertocco, NCTM e l’arte, IT
2018 In conversation with Ted Whitaker, Gabriela Löffel and Johanna K Becker, I: project space, Beijing, CH
2018 Public Talk for B/Side Design Festival, Beijing, CH
2018 Un percorso attraverso la fotografia italiana: il lavoro di Rachele Maistello, istituto di cultura, Beijing, CH
2017 A TU per TU, moderator Eva Comuzzi, Artverona, IT
2017 Disegno VS Fotografia, with artist Matteo Fato, moderator Andrea Bruciati, Galleria Civica di Modena, IT
2013 Artist’ talks, curated by Angela Vettese, Palazzetto Tito, Venice, IT
2012 Southernity, curated by Francesco Ragazzi Urbano, University of Cosenza, Cosenza, IT
TEACHING / EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS
2022 CANDALU’, Almanac, Torino, IT
2021 PIRELLI HANGAR BICOCCA, Artist workshop, Milano, IT
2021 SMART Foundation, Artist workshop, Rome, IT
2020 FACULTY OF APPLIED ART BIELEFELD, Artist lecture, Bielefeld, DE
2020 FONDAZIONE MODENA ARTI VISIVE, Artist lecture, IT
2019 CFP BAUER, Full Professor, Milano, IT
2018 MARIE CURIE SCHOOL, Special project for disability childrens, Savignano, IT
2018 ANDREA FERRI Secondary school, Workshop on Visual Education, Sala Bolognese, IT