Giovanni Motta
Biography
“The time of the child is life itself, those years when one is deeply connected to the essence of existence. It is the realm of wonder, awe, fear, and absolute presence in the fleeting moment. Then begins a long journey, ultimately leading back to the child we once were."
Giovanni Motta is a painter and digital artist working within Neo-Pop Surrealism, fusing elements of surrealism with contemporary pop aesthetics. Through his alter ego, JonnyBoy—a cartoon-style figure—he explores themes connected to the inner child.
Motta’s artistic research centres on evoking primordial emotions, using JonnyBoy as a vessel for these sensations. His works seek to engage viewers in a dialogue, prompting them to rediscover their inner selves and confront emotions often relegated to the past.
A key element of Motta’s practice is regressive meditation, which he employs to revisit his own history and draw upon transitional objects, scenographies, and colours—elements that subsequently find their way into his pieces. By merging hyper-realistic painting with digital art, Motta crafts dreamlike worlds that illuminate the intricate interplay between memory and symbolism.
His works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums worldwide, including the K11 Museum (Shanghai), La Permanente Museum (Milan), La Triennale Museum (Milan), W1 Curates (London), Mart Museum (Trento), CAFA Museum (Beijing), Palazzo Giustinian (Venice), and the Moderna Rimoldi Museum (Cortina d’Ampezzo).
Giovanni Motta is an Italian contemporary artist, best known for works that explore themes of childhood, memory, and imagination. Born in Verona in 1971, Motta grew up with a deep fascination for the vivid experiences of youth—the “realm of wonder, awe, fear, and absolute presence in the fleeting moment,” as he often describes it. This fascination became the bedrock of his artistic practice, leading him to create pieces that evoke a sense of nostalgia and emotional honesty.
From the early stages of his career, Motta has focused on the figure of the child as a potent symbol of innocence and possibility. His signature character, Jonny Boy, represents the artist’s inner child—a universal avatar for the joy, curiosity, and vulnerability of youth. Whether in sculpture, painting, or digital media (including NFTs), Jonny Boy serves as a reminder that adulthood, with all its responsibilities and complexities, inevitably circles back to the wonder-filled perspective we once had as children.
In interviews and statements, Motta often underscores the idea that childhood is not just a phase but a profound state of being—a moment of “life itself” when one is deeply connected to the raw essence of existence. Through his art, he attempts to recapture that fleeting purity. In doing so, he encourages viewers to reflect on their own formative experiences and rekindle a sense of awe that can fade with time.
Motta’s work has been exhibited internationally, garnering attention not only for its whimsical style but also for the introspective questions it poses about identity, growing up, and the inevitable passage of time. Critics and audiences alike praise how he balances technical skill—particularly in the precision of his sculptures and digital art—with the playful, emotive energy radiating from his images of youth.
Ultimately, Motta’s artistic journey underlines a core human theme: as we navigate adulthood’s demands, we are all—on some level—trying to find our way back to the child we once were. By championing imagination and emotional candor, Giovanni Motta’s biography and body of work stand as a poignant reminder of life’s cyclical nature and the enduring power of childhood wonder.
