Anya Adorni, born in Los Angeles in 2000, is an artist with Italian roots living in Barcelona. Her practice explores the transformative power of the subconscious through oil painting, surrealist narrative, and piano compositions.
Each night we find ourselves at the threshold of two worlds—the tangible and the intangible—confronted by phantasmagorical figures who elude us amidst the distractions and challenges of waking life. A life on fast forward, fueled by the deeply ingrained pressure of the patriarchy, shaping both our conscious and subconscious realities.
By exploring the intricate relationship between body and mind, her works invite women to embrace their individuality and free themselves from oppressive systems. Using strong visual narratives and vibrant colors, she seeks to convey strength and introspection in the face of sexism that persists. She creates dreamlike spaces for these figures, the walls of the canvas acting as portals to the infinite realm of what influences our subconscious and what lies beyond the veil.
Anya Adorni, nacida en Los Ángeles en el año 2000, es una artista de raíces italianas afincada en Barcelona. Su práctica explora el poder transformador del subconsciente a través de la pintura al óleo, la narrativa surrealista y las composiciones para piano.
Cada noche nos encontramos en el umbral de dos mundos —el tangible y el intangible—, frente a figuras fantasmagóricas que se nos escapan entre las distracciones y los desafíos de la vida despierta. Una vida acelerada, impulsada por la presión profundamente arraigada del patriarcado, que moldea tanto nuestra realidad consciente como subconsciente.
Al explorar la compleja relación entre el cuerpo y la mente, sus obras invitan a las mujeres a abrazar su individualidad y a liberarse de los sistemas opresivos. A través de narrativas visuales poderosas y colores vibrantes, busca transmitir fuerza e introspección frente al sexismo persistente. Crea espacios oníricos para estas figuras, donde los límites del lienzo actúan como portales hacia el reino infinito de aquello que influye en nuestro subconsciente y de lo que se encuentra más allá del velo.
CV
Students Against Sexual Assault Magazine Cover Page, Santa Barbara, California
Painting, The Procession, featured as cover page of SASA's 3rd Issue of btwn sheets in May 2021.
Glass Box Gallery UCSB, Santa Barbara, California
A collection of Anya's oil paintings displayed in UCSB's Glass Box Gallery show titled "Together We Can..." 2020.
UC CALPIRG Earth Day Art Award, Santa Barbara, California
Painting, When the Sand Runs Out, won CALPIRG’s 2021 Earth Day Art Contest pertaining to human impact on the environment.
Spectrum Summer Edition, Santa Barbara, California
Mortality's Monthly Union featured in UCSB's Spectrum Literary Journal in September 2021.
Undergraduate Research & Creative Studies, Santa Barbara, California
Paintings: The First Supper and Those Within the Wheel accompanied by short stories as a part of undergraduate creative research grant —2022
Talk at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna
Talk given on May 26, 2022 which focused on three Bolognese painters all currently displayed at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. Anya delved into the various ways women are portrayed in Italian art throughout the 14th-16th centuries.
International Contemporary Art Exhibition 2022 at Art Gallery Le Logge, Palazzo dei Priori, Assisi
Paintings: Those Within the Wheel, The Arrival Under, The Labyrinth, and Retrieval displayed at Art Gallery Le Logge accompanied by a four-part short story — 2022
Show at Bibliothè Gallery and Restaurant, Rome
Oil painting, Sussurri, was displayed alongside other works at Bibliothè — 2023
New Now Exhibition at Arteria Gallery, Barcelona
Oil painting, Liminal, was displayed alongside other works at Arteria Gallery — 2024
ARTELFEST at Arteria Gallery, Barcelona
Oil paintings, Strappare, Pluck, and The Procession were displayed alongside other works by ARTEL Festival at Arteria Gallery. March 15th-17th, 2024.
Stories Born from Water: The “Nereids & Naiads” Online Exhibition Press Release —2024
Nereids & Naiads Online Exhibition
Available to view online from March 20th to May 19th — 2024
Zilzal Sonic Ceremony, Barcelona
Group exhibition and performance in support of Palestine — 2024
Nymphs & Nature: Anya Adorni on feminine anthropomorphism & gender oppression
Interview with curator Leah Gennaraki and Follow.Art — 2024
Zilzal Sonic Ceremony, Barcelona.
Collective exhibition in F O C, alongside performances by various musical collectives — 2024
“Fragments of Home” Exhibition at Unmaking Art Studio in Raval, Barcelona — 2025
Zilzal Sonic Ceremony, Barcelona
The Memory of Water: collective exhibition and performance — 2025
Calor y Color exhibition at La Bótanica en El Poblesec, Barcelona — 2025
Port Gallery painting contest exhibition, Barcelona — 2026
Collective Exhibition “Leukos Oneiros” at Uxval Gochez Gallery (currently represented by) – May 2026
https://www.uxvalgochez.com/artists/anya-adorni/
Three paintings featured in Al-Tiba9 Art Magazine - ISSUE21 – May 2026
Education
California, United States — 2018-2021
Santa Barbara City College 2018-2020
A.A. in Studio Art with Honors
A.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences with Honors
University of California, Santa Barbara — 2020-2022
B.A. in Art with Honors
Bologna, Italy — 2022
Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna
B.A. completed with a specialization in painting
Internship with artist Angela Lorenz
Upcoming Studies
Barcelona, Spain — 2026-2027
BAU Centro Universitario de Artes y Diseño
Máster en Diseño de Espacios Escénicos y Dirección Artística