Alice d'Apolito

Alice d’Apolito, featured in Issue 56 and the Time Capsule exhibition, is an Italian contemporary artist and global nomad whose work explores the intersection of traditional artisan craftsmanship and personal iconography. Her style is defined as Contemporary Cartoon Pop, a narrative-driven aesthetic born from her background in Cinema and Animation. This influence is evident in her unique approach to the “gaze,” where she moves away from traditional tropes toward sharp, clean lines that define a conceptual and modern silhouette.

Alice’s practice is an evolving visual diary, translating her life in transit into wooden panels and figures. Her work features a recurring Alter Ego alongside her beloved companions: her childhood rabbit, Fulmine, and her current pet snails. These figures act as “souvenirs” of her journey, using a bold, graphic aesthetic to translate internal experiences of security and insecurity into a physical world.

Visually, her universe is anchored by bold cobalt blue lines. This signature choice establishes a specific psychological atmosphere, stripping the figures of natural warmth to inhabit a conceptual space detached from realism. Whether through static paintings or pieces featuring subtle kinetic joints, Alice’s work centers on the power of dreams and experience. Her characters—most notably in her “Shh” painting—embody a “hushed” strength, acting as guardians of secrets in a whimsical world where the warmth of the wood meets the mystery of the traveler.


Artist Statement

My art is driven by a committed, honest exploration of memory, identity, and the evolving definition of home. This selection of three works acts as a literal time capsule, mapping both the emotional and technical turning points that have defined my process over the last decade.

The journey begins with “Feeling Home”. Created in the wake of the lockdown, this piece marks the exact moment I began to look inward and represent the core memories of my childhood. Born out of an intense need to protect and preserve the memory of my childhood pet, Fulmine, I anchored her in a quiet, isolated landscape. The narrative opens up and scales forward in “Friends”, where the central character ventures down a new path. Moving from total isolation toward a sense of belonging, she welcomes a whimsical community of companion creatures into her world, a reflection of my own process of learning to navigate displaced identity and finding home in more places.

Finally, “Upside-Down” marks a major structural evolution. Wanting to break free from the traditional rectangular panel, I created a custom wooden silhouette where the character physically pops off the wall. Hanging upside down, she subverts perspective, captured in the messy, upside-down reality of navigating who we are.

Together, these works represent the core intention of my work: turning raw, personal vulnerability into a tangible, physical world. They preserve specific moments in time, showing how a visual diary can grow from a quiet, solitary memory into an expansive landscape of connection.


https://www.alicedapolito.com/