Giulia Salza
Giulia Salza is an Italian-born, Chicago-based illustrator, educator, and visual artist. Holding a Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology from Università degli Studi di Torino and a specialization in Illustration from the Scuola Internazionale di Comics, she combines surreal art and theatrical illustration. Giulia Salza is the illustrator of Il Diario di Lea (2024) and Il Diario di Emanuela (2025), published by Navarra Editore and written by Eleonora Frida Mino. Giulia Salza creates visual educational content focused on the analysis of Dante's Divine Comedy.
From 2012 to 2019, she worked as an educator and Humanities teacher at training centers and high schools.
Since 2017, she has dedicated herself to live painting, collaborating with various local organizations. Alongside the "Caffè Basaglia" association, she created a live painting project centered on Argentine tango titled "A todo color," culminating in a solo exhibition of the drawings produced during the city's milongas. She also participated as a live painter at the Vetrina Moving Bodies Festival, an international butoh dance festival.
Since 2017, she has collaborated with Eleonora Frida Mino, providing live theatrical illustration on stage for the shows “Stories of women who fought against the mafia or chose it: Antigone 3.0”, "Le Ribelli" (The Rebels), "Emanuela Loi, the police escort of Paolo Borsellino", and "Le Ribelli: Lea and Denise".
Since 2021, she has lived and worked in Chicago as a teacher and artist, exhibiting her work in several local group shows at the Bridgeport Art Center. She is the author and illustrator of the "Diari Ribelli" book series published by Navarra Editore (Sicily), including "Il Diario di Lea" (2024) and "Il Diario di Emanuela" (2025).
Art Statement
Art Statement
Dreams are my main source of inspiration: since I can remember, my dreams have always been more powerful than reality, often disturbingly lucid. I couldn't avoid this, so I found a way to make it useful. This might be the reason I’ve always been drawn to the mysteries of the unconscious, as well as to old tales, fairy tales, and mythology: all of which possess the inner power to answer personal and cultural questions and provide meaning. Since childhood, I’ve craved answers: imagining surreal worlds helps me better understand myself and, by extension, the human experience, Nature, and Life itself.
I find myself illustrating not just stories, but metaphors for life experiences through a symbolic language. Each detail in my paintings carries a piece of a more intricate story, a crucial moment, like a snapshot of a tiny section of the human inner world.
For me, painting is about capturing life’s complexities and presenting them in a more digestible way, inviting viewers to feel comfortable with their own inner struggles and, at the same time, explore different perspectives. I try to provide answers, but I often end up asking even more questions.
Acrylics, oils, pencils, and digital illustration are my go-to mediums.
Having been deeply influenced by my theatrical experiences, I’ve come to cherish the relationship between my art and its viewers. This has instilled in me a profound love and need for interaction and sharing, as I watch people engage with my work, listen to their thoughts, and feel their emotions. Art, for me, is also about forging these connections, stimulating authentic conversations where meaning is shared and felt.
It’s such an enriching and energizing life experience: probably the best part of the whole process.
Please, take your time,
Read about my
And the in which I worked as a live painter, illustrator and video artist.
Thank you for being here:
Symbolic Journey
Shows
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I am a sleepwalker and, apparently, my favorite place to go as a sleepwalker is the balcony.
No matter what’s the temperature outside.
Fun Facts about ME:
Very often I experience LUCID DREAMS. It can be overwhelming when I am not quite sure whether I am dreaming or not..
I have worked in a PRISON!
Yep, the place is Kilmainham Gaol, one of the most important national monuments in Ireland.
Once, I PAINTED the BODY of a woman.
The body painting “AGAINST THE MAFIA” became a video and it was featured by important newspapers. Scroll down to watch it!
DOGS
make me laugh ♥ Innocent and ADORABLE creatures! Totò, a famous Italian actor, used to say:“The dog is halfway between a BABY and an ANGEL”♥
My favorite book is
“LA DIVINA COMMEDIA” by Dante Alighieri. It tells the story of Dante and his journey in the afterlife. This book changed my life forever.
