Marco Ercoli - Super-nova

Marco Ercoli (1986) Italy
Title: Super-nova
Technique: Manual lamellar construction in paper-cut; hand-built.
Support: Assembly on a rigid wooden base with a rear spacer frame.
Notes: Study of optical-retinal dynamics in relief. The behind-the-scenes framing is designed to create a floating suspension effect from the wall.
Execution: Unique work entirely handmade.
Dimensions: Circle, diameter 115 cm, height 3 cm
2026
Signed on the back
Excellent condition

"Original unique work. Not a print, but a complex flat sculpture achieved through manual layering of colored papers. The zigzag pattern, the centerpiece of the artist's kinetic research, creates optical dynamism."

"The work is configured as a poly-material structure with radial progression. The technique consists of layering over 1,000 individually cut paper modules, arranged to generate an optical interference that simulates the expansion of a stellar light."

Super-nova: The Explosion of Matter-Color
The attribution of the title "Super-nova" shifts the axis of the work from the phenomenological plane to the metaphysical one. The choice is not purely suggestive, but precisely describes the internal dynamics of the composition: the work is not a static circle, it is an ongoing event.

The Instant of Expansion
Just like the stellar explosion marking the end of a life cycle and the beginning of a new cosmic sowing, the work captures the fleeting moment in which the critical mass collapses and then expands into a visible electromagnetic spectrum.

The Core: The center, where the strips of paper seem to converge in a very dense vortex, represents the point of singularity. It is here that the gravity of the collage is at its maximum.

Chromatic Radiation: The thousands of hand-cut strips become the "stellar fragments" hurled outward. The collage technique here is no longer just construction, but controlled fragmentation, a perfect metaphor for the heavy elements synthesized at the heart of a star and then distributed through space.

Synthesis between Chaos and Order
The title fully justifies the optical vibration: a Super-nova is the most violent phenomenon in the universe, and yet the author captures it through a process of extreme slowness and manual dedication. This contrast between the speed of light evoked by the title and the slowness of the act of cutting paper creates an intriguing short circuit.

Critical Verdict
Calling this work "Super-nova" means elevating the collage to a tool for investigating the infinitesimally large through the infinitesimally small (the single strip of paper). The viewer is not merely watching a game of colors, but witnessing the birth of light itself from a poor and fragmented material.

Marco Ercoli's works have passed through the Colasanti auction house:
https://www.colasantiaste.com/it/artisti/marco-ercoli-1327

The artist is listed in Arsvalue's artist catalog:
https://www.arsvalue.com/en/lots/1278322/marco-ercoli-roma-1986-albero-della-vita

Instagram Page:
https://www.instagram.com/marco__ercoli/

Marco Ercoli
Artistic Curriculum

Awards and Recognitions

2024: Selected among the "222 Artists to Invest in 2024", editorial volume curated by Exibart.

2023 – Gualdo Tadino: Creation of the Palio for the 2023 edition of the "Giochi de le Porte", presented with a standing ovation at the Monumental Church of San Francesco.

2019 – Isernia: Winner of the P.A.C.I. Prize, Quality Award, Auditorium Città d'Isernia.

2012 – France: Colart scholarship at the Atelier "Plessix-Madeuc".

2008 – Rome: Winner of "MarteLive", Quality Award, painting section.

Solo Exhibitions

2023 – Gualdo Tadino (PG): "In Your Eyes", Museo Complex - Monumental Church of San Francesco, curated by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi.

2022 – Rome: "Epimetheus", Gallery 28 Piazza di Pietra, curated by Giorgia Basili.

2021 – Massa Lubrense (NA): "Nighttime", Art Hotel Villa Fiorella, curated by Giorgia Basili.

2016 – Rome: "7", Galleria Curva Pura, curated by Serena Di Giovanni.

2010 – Rome: "F(R)ame", Libreria Einaudi.

2009 – Rome: "Butterfly Collection".

2009 – Rome: "Matter and Ego", Galleria Casina Giustiniani.

Group Exhibitions and Pavilions

2018 – Basel (Switzerland): "Summer Exhibition", Galerie Eulenspiegel.

2018 – Rome: "Profane Liquid, for external use only", Studio Giga, curated by Bianca Catalano.

2015 – Rome: "Radiate", TakeawayGallery.

2015 – Fermo: Stripe Festival Art and Architecture.

2015 – Milan: Affordable Art Fair Milano (AAF), Superstudio Più, Stand E5 (White Noise Gallery).

2015 – Rome: "Any Given Post-it", White Noise Gallery.

2013 – Rome: "First Art Hotel", Galleria Muciaccia.

2012 – Rome: "Rendez-vous", Galleria ArtePerOggi.

2012 – France: "Les Atelier du Plessix-Madeuc", Abbaye St Magloire, Lehon.

2011 – Turin: Venice Biennale, Italy Pavilion.

Installations and Special Projects

2018 – Civitella D'Agliano (VT): "Agora", Permanent Installation, project 1 Artist 1 Day, Contaminazioni d'Arte.