Fontaine Scarelli
Chicago-born and raised, Fontaine Scarelli is an abstract expressionist painter whose work electrifies the art world with a blend of raw emotion and philosophical depth. A former fashion design student, Scarelli made an unconventional leap into painting, bringing with him a sense of defiant creativity and a visual language that’s entirely his own.
Scarelli’s canvases, often large-scale and immersive, pull viewers into a narrative space where time, memory, and perception collide. Drawing on influences from post-apocalyptic films, The Twilight Zone, and a solitary upbringing, his work speaks to existential themes of life, death, and the dissonance between reality and illusion. Each piece channels his fascination with the strange and the sublime, blending rebellion and introspection in a way that defies traditional boundaries.
This past year has seen Scarelli’s career take off, with solo exhibitions, representation by Virgil Catherine Gallery, Loisir Art Gallery, and Gallery 1871, and a debut at Art Basel Miami Beach through Luminaire. His piece Drifting Shards 2 was featured in L’Officiel St. Barth as part of their “Best of Art Basel 2024” coverage. In addition, his large-scale painting The Idea of Time, 2024 was acquired by global design firm Perkins&Will and is now on display in their newly remodeled Chicago studio.
His work, once featured at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chicago, is currently on view at Luminaire’s Hollywood Design District showroom. He was recently interviewed and featured in Visual Art Journal, further cementing his rising influence within the world of contemporary abstraction.
For Scarelli, every brushstroke is a form of self-discovery, a narrative of both solitude and universal experience that resonates deeply with those who seek something beyond the ordinary. Whether working with private collectors or bringing new audiences into his expansive, layered visions, Scarelli’s art doesn’t just invite you to look, it challenges you to question what you think you know about reality.
Fontaine Scarelli
Born: 1987, Chicago, Illinois
Resides and works in Chicago, Illinois
Education
• 2008-2011: Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design, The Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, Illinois
Art Fairs
• 2023 – Glencoe Festival of Art, Chicago, IL
• 2023 – Gold Coast Art Fair, Chicago, IL
• 2023 – One of a Kind Spring Show, Chicago, IL
Selected Exhibitions
• 2025- What Dreams May Come, Group Exhibition, Gallery 1871, Chicago, IL (April 10 – June 14, 2025)
• 2024 – Fractured Continuum, Solo Exhibition, 737 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL
• 2024 – Temporal Nexus, Poliform, River North Design District Fall Gallery Walk, Chicago, IL
• 2024 – Miami Art Basel, Presented by Luminaire, Miami, FL
• 2024 – O.S.D. 7, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL
• 2024 – O.S.D. 6, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL
• 2024 – O.S.D. 5, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL
• 2023 – Mindscapes, HAZ Cooperative Studios, Chicago, IL
• 2023 – O.S.D. 4, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL
• 2023 – O.S.D. 3, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL
• 2023 – O.S.D. 2, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL
• 2022 – O.S.D. 1, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL
Gallery Representation
• Virgil Catherine Gallery – Hinsdale, IL
• Loisir Art Gallery – West Hollywood, CA
• Gallery 1871 - Chicago, IL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
- 2024 - Fractured Continuum, 737 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
- 2023 - Temporal Nexus, Poliform, River North Design District Fall Gallery Walk, Chicago, IL
Selected Collections
Saks Fifth Avenue Collection – Chicago, IL
700 N. Michigan Ave.
• Traitors at Midnight Series
• Quiet Glitch
• Temporary Darkness
• Plethora of Crust (3)
Amy Kartheiser Design Studio – River North, Chicago, IL
• Dimension of Imagination
Luminaire – Hollywood Design District, Hollywood, CA
• Selected works on display and available for sale
Private and Corporate Commissions – Various Locations
• Psychological Oddity Series – Las Vegas, NV
• Evening Filth Series – Las Vegas, NV
• Sophisticated Suspicion – Las Vegas, NV
• A Place Back There – Las Vegas, NV
• Afterimage Reverie – San Francisco, CA
• Dual Existence Series – Austin, TX
• Nocturnal Interval Series – New York, NY
• Dreams Beneath Silence – Los Angeles, CA
• Metropolis Echo Series – Chicago, IL
• Various corporate commissions for Chicago-based businesses and private collectors across the U.S., with personalized abstract works reflecting Scarelli’s unique artistic vision
Press and Publications
- 2025 - Visual Art Journal, Interview Feature
- 2024 - L'Officiel St. Barth, "Best of Art Basel Miami Beach Week"
- 2024 - Meet the Maker series, Amy Kartheiser Design Studio
- 2023 - Featured Artwork: Dimension of Imagination in Amy Kartheiser Studio, River North, Chicago
Memberships
• Art Institute of Chicago – Member
• Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago – Member
Studio Contact Information
Scarelli Fine Arts
1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Loft #2
Chicago, IL 60626
Website: scarellifinearts.com
Phone: (773) 704-4891
FONTAINE SCARELLI
Artist Statement
My paintings are born from a lifelong fascination with the unknown. Growing up as an only child, I spent countless hours alone, imagining worlds beyond my own, worlds shaped by the eerie beauty of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. That sense of isolation and curiosity lives in every canvas.
I work through themes of time, memory, and survival, letting chaos and order collide until something raw and human emerges. Each piece is a reckoning, dark and unsettled, yet always searching for light. For me, painting isn’t decoration; it’s survival. It’s the one place where the fractures of life feel whole again.