Colors That Scream, Dots That Tell a Story. Interview with Artist David Pompili
From works for Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli to sculptures, the Italian artist shares his artistic vision
Some artists work on the image, and others who work on the fracture of the image. David Pompili belongs to the latter category. Born in Spoleto in 1970, his career spans scenography, graphics, fashion, painting, and even teaching Art History: not as separate stages, but as layers of a single gaze. Scenography, in particular, has left a decisive mark on him: the idea that each work is a space to be inhabited, a small theater where contemporary art takes center stage.
His language blends pop, street, and allegory, yet eschews decorative surfaces. His works feature logos, brands, advertising fragments, and recycled materials—cardboard, plastic, torn posters—elements that belong to the rapid cycle of consumption and, once freed from their fate, become critical memory. It is here that his gesture becomes more deliberate: transforming waste into narrative.
His distinctive trait, in addition to the sharp and vibrant color contrasts, is polka dots: dots that punctuate surfaces like social cells, serial presences that evoke mass, identity, and multiplicity. Each dot is both individual and systemic. A visual grammar that makes his work instantly recognizable, from urban murals to canvases.
In recent years, his career has intersected with projects that have had a strong public impact: from the work “Ho Creduto a Me” (I Believed in Myself), created in Solarolo (RA) for the museum inaugurated on September 7, 2025 and dedicated to Laura Pausini—inspired by a song from the album “Simili”—to the works for Andrea Bocelli at the Teatro del Silenzio, and even urban and international projects such as intervention in Saint-Ouen, France, for the GemellArte festival. Different experiences, yet united by the same desire: to bring art out of neutrality and into the living flow of society.
In this conversation, we explored the origins of his artistic journey, his relationship with his audience, his dialogue with music, and his gaze toward a future that continues to question the present.
How did your artistic journey begin, and what were the formative stages that most influenced your vision and expressive language?
It all began with my education at the Art School, majoring in Scenography, followed by university and, thanks to formative experiences in the fields of Scenography, Graphic Design, Fashion, and Painting, experiences that led me to define, or perhaps seek, the very identity that set me apart, moving from academic experiences to my style, my provocative, pop-street DNA.
Now I can say that my work remains free because it’s more expressive and naturally recognizable. From a mural to a small piece. Set design has been my fundamental path, a guide, where many different approaches, combined, have succeeded in sparking my interest and curiosity, leading me to achieve what I present today.
Graphic design has always been a constant companion on my journey, a powerful aid and translator of many ideas. In the many years I spent with major fashion brands, I also found that source of inspiration there, in creating and thinking, from the garment to transforming everything into a living installation.
Only later does another side of me emerge, perhaps little known, but one that has shaped my artistic journey for many years: teaching Art History in high school. I have a lot to say, especially about my relationship with my students, engaging in dialogue, listening to generations, and contemporary ideas. For me, it’s an immense wealth and cultural asset.
I often involve my students in my projects, blending my experience with their artistic spontaneity. The result? A veritable design explosion.
Your work blends street art, pop art, and allegory. How did this stylistic synthesis develop over time, and when did you feel you’d found your own recognizable signature?
I’ve been allowing them to coexist for some time now. The bond between them is a thin thread that unites them through social issues, provocation, and society seen through a vividly colored window.
My artistic form was defined many years ago, when I told myself that my art should be enjoyed by everyone. Not because museums or galleries aren’t places for enjoyment, but, for example, I consider the size of a wall an excellent urban canvas for conveying a strong, colorful, and ironic message to everyone.
Your works often address social and contemporary issues. How important is the message to you compared to the visual impact of the work?
It’s very important. I want and hope it will be so that the message will be direct, emotional, and thoughtful, reaching the viewer. Perhaps color and shape also greatly help the viewer, both in murals and in canvas works. Canvas works are strongly linked to logos and society, where time and contemporaneity play their part, revealing the joys and sorrows of our times.
Engaging with the public. You’ve exhibited in a wide variety of contexts, from museums to public spaces. How do you think the perception of your art changes depending on where it’s viewed?
Every exhibition is always different, partly because I always try to present a project in a different and original way, starting with the installation; therefore, the viewer always finds something new in my presentations. The perception of my work can vary from location to location, and it changes with the theme, which is strongly tied to the social message.
You often use recycled materials and mixed techniques. How do you choose these materials, and what role do they play in the symbolic narrative of your works?
The materials I use are scraps or materials that society uses, and where I find a soul, a story, combined with my shapes and colors that create a truly scenic cross-section.
For some time, my torn posters found on the street have become an excellent base for a decollage of logos and writing from my works, where screaming or playful figures take center stage.
Then, the figure is inserted into decorations like polka dots, which, for me, are a metaphorical translation of society seen in every single colored dot. I also find it very interesting to give new life to objects and papers, turning them into works of art. The motto is: reuse and don’t waste, to protect our ecosystem.
“Ho Creduto a Me”, the work created for the Laura Pausini Museum, is a very significant project. What was the concept behind it, and what does it mean to you in your artistic journey?
The title of the work, Ho Creduto a Me, was inspired by a song by Laura (editor’s note: included on the album Simili, 2016; Similares, for the Latin market), which I translated into an image: the two portraits of Laura harmoniously contrast and shield each other with their hands in a strongly protective gesture. It’s always a pleasure to reach the podium in this long artistic journey, and also to find comparison with artists of such international standing.
In this work, you explored the identity of an international music artist. What was it like to explore such a strong and recognizable personal and artistic history?
It was harmoniously beautiful and constructive. It all started with an email, and I won’t deny that at first I was a little anxious. But thanks to Laura’s charisma and her charm, I continued my artistic thinking, ultimately leading to the final realization.
From Laura’s photos, reworked with gray tones, contrasted with bold colors ranging from yellow to fuchsia and red, all defined by polka dots.
During the days spent in Solarolo, a very important and personal aspect was the relationship I built with all the staff and Laura’s family, from her father, Fabrizio, to her sister, Silvia Pausini.
And then the title is very important to me because it also describes other works I created for Andrea Bocelli in Lajatico, at the Teatro del Silenzio, the Open-Air Cinema Museum in Narni in Umbria, the mural dedicated to Luca Tommassini in Rome, the Quartierei Museo project in Bari, and then the sculpture for the Vespa World Days 2024 in Pontedera.
In 2022, I was one of the winners of the 2022 edition of GemellArte, an international contemporary art festival that unites Terni and Saint-Ouen in Paris. For the occasion, I created a mural in Saint-Ouen on the theme of sustainability, entitled “Space Horizon Queen”. Other projects include projects in Cyprus and for the 54th Venice Biennale.
Looking to the future. After your most recent projects and works, what direction do you feel your artistic research is moving in today?
“Intense life, fleeting happiness, and an uncertain future” is a quote from a song by Tonino Carotone. So, an intense life with many future projects and interesting collaborations, some underway and others starting in May in museums.
New murals will appear in various locations across Italy. I can’t say much about them now, but there will also be projects ranging from commercials or logos to fragments of classic works coexisting on a disposable medium.
It’s a new experiment that addresses a current theme: everything is fast-paced and pays little attention to artistic and cultural essence, focusing instead on marketing.
Interview by Fabio Pariante: X • Instagram • Website