About
“Polite.. Cooperative. An eccentric artist.” – Cst. V. Napoleon #000122003, RCMP Investigation.
Biography
ADORNATO (1977 – not dead yet) is a first generation Italian-Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Ottawa, Canada. His subversive and provocative art practice often consists of dystopian subjects with a satirical or irreverent twist. Contentious social issues, climate change, fake news, and Capitalism-gone-wrong are regular motifs in his paintings, performances, videos, and playful creative outbursts.
Career highlights to date include solo exhibitions at the Diefenbunker Museum (2018), The Ottawa Art Gallery Annexe (2016), group exhibitions at the Bank of Canada’s Currency Museum (2007), the Canadian War Museum (2006), and the Shenkman Arts Centre (2023). His work resides in the permanent art collections of the City of Ottawa, the Diefenbunker Museum, the Ottawa Archives, as well as countless private collections across Canada, Italy, China, and Spain. Adornato has also received grants and awards including the Artist Production grant from the City of Ottawa in 2018 for his neo-medieval series, Dystopia Rising.
In 2014, he drew international attention when he submitted a painting of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) set ablaze by their disgruntled mascot, to the prestigious RBC Canadian Painting competition. Click here to see the RBC paintings, and news coverage. RBC has since cancelled the banal painting competition and retired their mascot.
In 2015, Adornato made an ATIP (Access to Information and Privacy) request to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and discovered a 7-page, mostly redacted police investigation (view here) into his performance art project, #MYPROTEST. It concluded that Adornato “is an eccentric artist” and that his artwork and performances were not a crime.
For more information or pricelists, contact : marcadornato@gmail.com
Representation: The Ottawa Art Gallery Annexe, or message him directly.
CV/Resumé
Education
NSCAD University, Bachelor of Fine Art degree, Major in Media Arts, Halifax, NS, Canada. 2001
Representation
The Ottawa Art Gallery Annexe Gallery, 50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa
The Urban Art Collective UAC website, 1088 Somerset St W, Hintonburg, Ottawa.
Contact Adornato directly – marcadornato@gmail.com
Collections
The Diefenbunker Museum, Ottawa
The City of Ottawa Art Collection, Ottawa
The City of Ottawa Archives, Ottawa
Private Collections in Canada, United States, Italy, China, Spain, Poland.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2022 None of The Above Party, performance art started in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2000, and continue in Ottawa in 2020 and 2022.
2020 Dystopia Rising, a COVID Christmas lockdown studio exhibition. See the exhibit and artist talk here.
2018 Ruined Landscapes, The Diefenbunker Museum, Carp, Ontario
2016 I’ve Got Some Bad News, Ottawa Art Gallery, Art Rental and Sales Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2016 Ruined Landscapes, OZ Kafe, Ottawa, Ontario
2015 Arbie Goes Rogue, Railbender Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2014 We’re So Screwed, The Manx, Ottawa, Ontario
2013 WOOD, Grey Area Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2013 Hunting Dissent, Umi Cafe, Ottawa, Ontario
2012 I Have Much To Report, The Hintonburg Public House | Shanghai | The Daily Grind, Ottawa, Ontario
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 The Marks We Make, Ottawa Art Gallery Annexe (w/ Norman Takeuchi, Kenneth Lochhead, etc), Ottawa Ontario
2023 Ottawa Icons, Shenkman Art Center (w/ Adrian Gor, Bill Staubi, etc), Ottawa Ontario
2022 Religious Art, St. Anthony of Padua Church (w/ Adrian Gor, Gerald Trottier, Bill Staubi, etc), Ottawa, Ontario
2022 Art & Parcel, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2021 OAG Virtual Art Auction, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2020 OAG Virtual Art Auction, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2020 COVID-19 Art Auction fundraiser, Ottawa School of Art, Ottawa, Ontario
2019 Le After Party, Annexe Gallery, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2019 Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala, Ottawa Riverkeeper, Ottawa, Ontario
2018 LUCK, Ottawa Arts Council, Ottawa, Ontario
2016 City of Ottawa Direct Purchase exhibition, City Hall, Ottawa, Ontario
2016 LUCK, Ottawa Arts Council, Ottawa, Ontario
2015 Exploring the Intersection of Art and Progress, Marc Adornato/Jonathan Hobin, The Broadbent Institute Progress Summit, Ottawa, Ontario
2013 UFOs over Ottawa, Nuit Blanche Ottawa, Grey Area Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2013 Create this Revolution, Gallery 101, Ottawa, Ontario
2012 Colin Campbell, I’m Yours, Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2012 Human Zoo, La Petite Mort Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2012 Candela, The Cube Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario (People’s Choice Award)
2011 Timeraiser, National Art Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
2007 Sacred Money, Damned Money, The Currency Museum, Bank of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
2006 Weapons of Mass Dissemination: The Propaganda of War, Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario
2003 Art vs. War, Gallery 101, Ottawa, Ontario
Selected Artist Talks
2020 Dystopia Rising exhibition artist talk on YOUTUBE. Watch it here.
2015 ArtPreneur conference talk, Innovative Artists, Harold Shenkman Hall, Shenkman Arts Centre
2015 Pecha Kucha talk, Ottawa Chapter, Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park, Ottawa
2015 Shoufen Talks, Jackpine, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
2015 The Technology Of Protest Past and Present: #MYPROTEST, Department of History, Carleton University, Ottawa
2014 Featured Guest Artist Talk, w/ Natasha Mazurka Art class, Algonquin College, Ottawa, Ontario
2013 Create This Revolution, Gallery 101, Ottawa, Ontario
2012 Pecha Kucha talk, Vol.6, A decade of making art, Shopify Lounge, Ottawa, Ontario
2006 Featured Guest Artist Talk, Ottawa School of Art, Ottawa ON, Canada
2004 Un-censoring: MediaMorphosis conference, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
News, Interviews, Radio, and Television bibliography:
2022 City of Ottawa Archives takes in 4 artworks and numerous photos about COVID-19 including HERO, a poster of Zexi Li.
2020 CBC radio / Radio Canada TV, COVID-19 Mural on Chateau Lafayette in Ottawa’s Byward Market, Ottawa, link to CBC.
2020 Ben Caplan’s O Holy Night cover art collaboration for with Jamie Kronick.
2019 CBC Arts, Why Marc Adornato is painting ruined landscapes and mass shootings
2018 Ottawa Now with Evan Solomon, CFRA 580 radio, Ottawa, Ontario
2018 Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa artist’s disaster ‘hacks’ of older paintings at Diefenbunker, Peter Hum, April. 4
2017 The Secret Lives of Public Servants, featured artist, A Canada 150 Webseries, Youtube Oct. 23
2017 All In A Day – my thoughts on LA MACHINE,hosted by Alan Neal, CBC Radio 1, Ottawa, Ontario
2017 CBC News, Ottawa artist Marc Adornato sees flattery in imitation, Mario Carlucci, Jan 18.
2016 CBC News, ‘Bad news’ exhibit remakes the familiar into the political, Mario Carlucci, June 23.
2016 APT 613, Marc Adornato has some bad news for you by Brenda Dunn, June 21.
2015 All In A Day – interview about #MYPROTEST art project hosted by Alan Neal, CBC Radio 1, Ottawa, Ontario
2015 As It Happens – Arbie Goes Rogue: RBC Painting Competition with Carol Off & Jeff Douglas, CBC Radio 1, National Radio,Canada
2015 CBC News, Ottawa artist’s Christmas Eve installation turns into ‘online scavenger hunt, Dec 26.
2014 Regional Contact, featured artist, hosted by Joel Haslam, CTV Television, Ottawa, Ontario
2014 Huffington Post, RBC Branch On Fire Painting Likely Won’t Win RBC Contest, Oct 7.
2014 ArtNet News, A Bank’s Painting Prize Gets an Incendiary Response, Ben Davis, Oct 4.
2014 The Ottawa Citizen, The Calgary Herald,One artist’s fiery protest against a bank and its annual painting prize, Peter Simpson, October 2.
2014 The Ottawa Citizen, A Penchant for the Past, Jessica Rose, D8.
2014 Guerilla Magazine, Martyrs and Messiahs, Tony Martins, Vol.10, Issue 39, pg. 3
2014 LoveOttawa.com, the historical and inspirational aesthetic of old Ottawa, D.Brown.
2013 The Ottawa Citizen, 10 to see at Nuit Blanche, Peter Simpson, D7-D10
2013 The Ottawa Citizen, There is really no limit, Drake Fenton, pg C3
2013 Herd Magazine, Artist feature, The Beaten Track, Claudia Gutierrez, pg12-15
2013 Click Here interview, hosted by Mitchel Caplan, CHUO 89.1FM radio, Ottawa, Ontario
2013 Ottawa Magazine, Dialing Back, Fateema Sayani, pg 33
2012 The Artisan artist feature hosted by Sterling Lynch, Rogers Television, Ottawa, Ontario
2012 All In A Day artist interview hosted by Alan Neal, CBC Radio 1, Ottawa, Ontario
2011 Zouch Magazine Marc Adornato: An Artist Repurposed in Canada, Meghan Clarkston.
2011 APT613.ca,The Art of Volunteering, Francois Levesque.
2009 Ottawa Magazine, Take The Cash, Fateema Sayani, pg 21
2009 All In A Day artist interview hosted by Alan Neal, CBC Radio 1, Ottawa, Ontario
2008 Ottawa: The Unknown City, Expensive Art, Rob McLennan, pg 28
2007 Talk Ottawa artist interview hosted by James Hendricks, Rogers Television, Ottawa, Ontario
2006 Arts Review about Cube Gallery exhibit, hosted by Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio 1, Ottawa, Ontario
2006 The Ottawa Citizen, War seen through young artists eyes, War museum exhibit, Peter Simpson, D4
2005 VOIR Magazine, La guerre et l’art, Line Dezainde, pg 12
2005 Daytime Artist Interview, hosted by Derick Fage, Rogers Television, Ottawa, Ontario
Art related grants, awards, and accolades:
2022 City of Ottawa Archives takes in 4 artworks and numerous photos about COVID-19 pandemic including HERO, a poster of Zexi Li.
2023 Juror for Ottawa School of Art exhibition planning 2024-2025.
2019 Loon Choir Album Cover art, National Arts Centre album release party, April 26.
2019 Juror for City of Ottawa public art commission, Rosemount Library, Hintonburg.
2018 Art Grant, City of Ottawa Creation and Production Fund for Professional Artists – funding the painting series ‘Dystopia Rising’
2017 Juror for City of Ottawa Creation and Production Fund
2012 People’s Choice award for Cube Gallery’s Candela exhibition.
Artist Residencies:
2022 Artist residency at Maker Space North with a focus on street art, 250 City Centre Ave Bay 216, Ottawa
2013 – Present: Resident artist at UNION 613 , 315 Somerset St W, Ottawa
