Marco MECCARELLI
Marco Meccarelli is a renowned scholar of East Asian art with extensive experience in the academic field, focusing on the intersections between culture, art, and archaeology in East Asia. He has taught at various Italian universities, including Roma “La Sapienza,” Macerata, Urbino, and Catania.
Throughout his career, he has been awarded a research grant at the University of Catania for the project “Images of Mind and Body in East Asian Cultures”, which was part of the intra-departmental research program “ATLAS - Rethinking Eastern-Western Imaginaries. Language, Body, Mind.” He earned his Ph.D. in History and Civilizations of East Asia (2010) and a Postgraduate Specialization Diploma (2005) from the Second School of Specialization in Oriental Archaeology at the University of Rome “La Sapienza.”
In 2016, he was invited to China as one of 31 international sinologists to participate in the Visiting Program for Young Sinologists, organized by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He has achieved National Scientific Qualification as an Associate Professor (II level), has taken part in two PRIN projects, and is actively engaged in several scientific associations and academic editorial committees.
His research focuses on the birth and evolution of Chinese photography, cultural, archaeological, and artistic interactions between East Asia and the rest of the world, semiological analysis of Chinese erotic images, and the iconographic and iconological study of the Chinese dragon.
Publications
He is the author of the monograph Le antiche Vie della Cina: un’indagine archeologica e artistica (Manfredi, Imola, 2020) and co-author of the first Italian monograph on the history of photography in China, Storia della fotografia in Cina. Le opere di artisti cinesi e occidentali (Novalogos, Aprilia, 2011). He has also published numerous articles on Chinese and Japanese archaeology, art, and culture in specialized journals such as Archeo, Art, Dossier, Civiltà, Medioevo Misterioso, and Re e Regine.
Cultural Activities
He was the founder and president of the Cultural Association VersOriente (2003–2011) and a co-founder of VersOriente s.r.l. (2007–2011), through which he organized cultural events, courses, book presentations, and guided visits focusing on East Asian civilizations. Among his notable initiatives, he was the promoter and organizer of the first European exhibition “Exotic and Bizarre: The Fantastic World of Banko Ceramics” (2009–2010), as part of the XXV edition of the Biennale Internazionale dell’Umorismo nell’Arte in Tolentino (MC).
He has participated in numerous initiatives sponsored by institutional bodies (the Municipality of Rome, Province of Rome, Regions of Lazio, Abruzzo, Marche, and Tuscany) and embassies of various countries (China, Japan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines), as well as organizations like the Japan Foundation and the Japanese Cultural Institute.
Marco Meccarelli’s primary areas of research focus on the birth and evolution of Chinese photography, a field in which he examines the interaction between tradition and modernity, exploring how photography has shaped artistic and cultural perception in China over time. His research also delves into cultural, archaeological, and artistic intersections between East Asia and the rest of the world, investigating how East Asian cultures have engaged with and integrated external influences. Another central theme of his work is the semiological analysis of Chinese erotic images, where he explores the symbolic representations and underlying meanings in these artworks. Lastly, he dedicates his research to the iconographic and iconological study of the Chinese dragon, a figure rich in symbolism and central to Chinese culture and imagination, analyzing its deep meanings and iconographic transformations over time.
In addition to teaching, he has been actively involved in cultural initiatives, including events, courses, book presentations, guided tours, and activities aimed at disseminating knowledge about Eastern and Far Eastern civilizations. From 2003 to 2011, he served as president of the cultural association VersOriente, which he founded, and from 2007 to 2011, he was a co-founder of VersOriente S.r.l.
As an initiator, collaborator, and promoter of cultural events and exhibitions, he notably served as a promoter and organizer of the first European exhibition Esotico e bizzarro. Il mondo fantastico delle ceramiche banko (2009-2010), held during the XXV edition of the International Biennial of Humor in Art in Tolentino (MC).
He has presided over, coordinated, and participated in activities under the patronage of the Municipality of Rome, the Provinces of Rome, Lazio, Abruzzo, Marche, and Tuscany, as well as with the participation and support of the embassies of China, Japan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, along with the Japan Foundation and the Japanese Cultural Institute.