The Nature Of Fear Nicola Samori __exclusive__ May 2026

In the hushed, sterile halls of a contemporary art gallery, we expect comfort. We expect clean lines, conceptual distance, and the safe irony of the postmodern. But when you stand before a painting by Nicola Samorì , something archaic awakens in your gut. It is not surprise. It is not confusion. It is pure, unmediated fear .

Fear here operates through absence. You see the shape of a face, a hand, a torso, but the flesh is gone. You are looking at the —the empty shroud of a body that has dissolved in agony. The gold, instead of representing heaven, becomes a garish backdrop for oblivion. 3. The Inversion of Scale Samorì frequently paints on black, circular copper panels. The material is precious; the shape is intimate (like a cameo or a mirror). But the content is monstrous. Heads are twisted on spines. Mouths are frozen open in silent screams that never arrive. Because the works are small, you must lean in close. You cannot view them from a safe distance. the nature of fear nicola samori

This is not magic; it is neuroscience. The human brain is wired to detect faces and damage. When a face is partially erased, the brain’s amygdala (the fear center) activates because it cannot resolve the ambiguity. Is the face suffering? Is it dead? Is it looking at me? In the hushed, sterile halls of a contemporary