Silvana Martignoni

Silvana Martignoni was born in Busto Arsizio, Italy. She graduated from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, and in Urbino she refined various printmaking techniques that helped her develop her own expressive language beyond academic frameworks. Nature, animals, and ecological themes are consistently present in her visual world, where real images are transformed into symbols and poetic states of memory. Martignoni works actively in mezzotint - a technique that allows for delicate yet powerful and dense tones, offering a richness of nuances close to painting. She creates slowly, observing forms and detail, and drawing from the matrix harmonious, emblematic images carrying a philosophical undertone. Silvana is the recipient of numerous international awards, among them: the award of the “XXII Joan Mirò International Drawing Award” (Switzerland, 1983), the “Ju Qi Cup” (China, 2013), multiple distinctions at the Jogja International Miniprint Biennale (2016, 2018, 2020), first prize of the “Biblioteca di Bodio Lomnago” (Italy, 2018), awards from DEG (Germany, 2021, 2022, 2024), the Grand Prix “Premi Horitzons de Gravat” (Spain, 2023), among others. She has taken part in numerous prestigious international forums and competitions, including the Graphic Arts Triennial - Chamalières, France (2017), the International Biennial - Varna (2017, 2023), the International Mezzotint Festival - Yekaterinburg, Russia (2017, 2019), the National Museum of Fine Arts - Taiwan (2022), the José de Ribera Biennale, Spain (2021, 2023), as well as international ex libris forums and exhibitions in Poland, Italy, Romania, Albania, and more. She lives and works in Italy.