In Assunta Cassa's oil paintings, space and time become living chromatic fragments, which recompose themselves into narratives of freedom and representations of deep emotions.
Bio
Assunta Cassa lives and works in San Benedetto del Tronto, in Italy, where she has her studio. Originally from Manfredonia, she spent her childhood and adolescence there, cultivating a passion for drawing that accompanied her through her university studies in Pescara.
In 2008, after moving to San Benedetto, her encounter with local artists inspired her to pursue her love for art. She began attending training courses and art workshops, experimenting with both figurative and abstract styles while exploring various techniques and materials. Since 2012, she has devoted herself exclusively to her artistic career, painting in oil on canvas with a distinctive technique.
Her works have been exhibited in numerous prestigious shows, including the International Biennial of Bari and the Metropolitan Area in 2018, three editions of the AR[t]CEVIA International Art Festival, and the Cimitile Prize. Internationally, she has showcased her art in Paris, Tokyo, and Bratislava.
A significant milestone in her career came in 2017, when she created the cover for Metaphors, an album by renowned American bassist Alphonso Johnson; the artwork is now part of the musician’s private collection.
Since May 2022, the image of her work Malala. Stronger than Fear has been part of the permanent installation Arte del Dialogo – Agorà in Piazza Tiziano, Pieve di Cadore.
Among her most notable solo exhibitions are the 2017 show at the Palazzetto dell’Arte in Foggia, dedicated to Andrea Pazienza, and the 2024 exhibition at Galleria ZeroUno in Barletta.
Her works are part of private collections in several European countries and the United States, reflecting the international recognition of her work.
Statement
In her studio nestled in the heart of the Marche region, Assunta Cassa creates works that capture fragments of contemporary life, reassembled through the lens of her artistic vision. Inspired by what she lives, observes, photographs, and reads, the artist explores the tension between real and digital life, between introspection and hyperconnectivity.
Assunta Cassa, Dancity, 60×170, 2020
Her original figurative language is rooted in the visual fragmentation of the modern world, reinterpreted through meticulously hand-painted pixels. This stylistic choice highlights the contrast between authentic life — lived in private spaces and workplaces — and the projected, curated identities of the online world.
Through her distinctive technique of oil on canvas combined with the palette knife, Cassa transforms space and time into kaleidoscopic fields of color. Each fragment is handled with precision, balancing texture and nuance to bridge the gap between digital and analog, between the ephemeral and the eternal.
Her inspirations emerge from close observation of the present — a reality often overwhelmed by frenzy and digital overstimulation, which risks obscuring the subtle textures of everyday life. These impressions settle within her inner world and take shape through a thoughtful and meticulous creative process: from collecting reference images to sketching, drawing detailed compositions on canvas, and finally painting — pixel by pixel — in a rhythm that enhances both the precision of the process and the significance of every detail.
Assunta Cassa, Dreamcity, 60×80, 2019
Her compositions reflect fragments of urban landscapes — such as New York and its iconic skyscrapers — inhabited by strong, self-aware, and free women. These female figures, whether walking confidently through the city or immersed in quiet introspection, carry messages of strength, presence, and liberation. The artist also explores the masculine dimension, capturing the complexity of human interiority in intense, multi-layered portraits.
Her work offers a critical reflection on today’s hyperconnected society — one marked by endless scrolling, now described by the Oxford Dictionary as “brain rot,” which erodes our ability to focus and listen deeply.
Assunta Cassa, Monica Vitti, 40×40, 2022
Assunta Cassa, Malala: stronger than fear, 100×100, 2020
With vivid colors and tactile textures, her canvases become invitations to reconnect: with oneself, with others, and with the natural world.
Each painting is the result of intimate reflection on urban life and the longing for authenticity. Pixels blend with their surrounding environment, giving shape to a visual language that encourages critical thinking, mindfulness, and a passion for genuine experience.
Assunta Cassa’s art is a bridge between worlds and dimensions — a vibrant interplay of color and matter that invites us to live the present moment with awareness and depth.
