Jacopo Calonaci was born in Florence in 1989, the cradle of the Renaissance, and now works in Amsterdam — the bunkbed of art funding. He runs Studio Giggly, where he creates illustrations, 3D characters, and their tangible 3D-printed counterparts.

He studied at London’s College of Communication (2007–2008) and the Gerrit Rietveld Academie (2008–2012). His work has appeared in Digicult Magazine and DAMN Magazine and was featured in Current Obsession’s Fotocopy (2023). His prints have been exhibited and sold at art markets across the Netherlands, including The Kunstbar in The Hague, and are available online and through his Etsy store.

Years immersed in stark online imagery and relentless news cycles shaped his instinct to reclaim genuine tenderness — not the commercial kind used to sell cereal or candy, but a quiet, precise warmth capable of turning gloom into something unexpectedly delightful, like therapy cats in high-security prisons easing tension and sparking unlikely friendships.

Calonaci’s practice thrives on that small miracle. His creatures act as gentle catalysts: soft-spoken, slightly ridiculous ambassadors reminding us that human connection persists even when the world seems unlikely to remember.

When I was three, I overheard adults whisper about the “Monster of Florence,” a serial killer hiding in the Tuscan countryside. My toddler brain took it literally: a towering, fanged creature possibly lurking in my closet.

I drew him — first out of fear, then out of habit. Soon every city had its own creature, and fear gradually shifted into something approachable, even companionable. That early instinct still drives my work today. At Studio Giggly, I practice the same alchemy: turning unease, oddity, and overlooked anxieties into tenderness, humor, and small, disarming delights.

My creatures treat cuteness as a social force rather than a marketing strategy. I’m inspired by quiet transformations in unlikely places — like high-security prisons, where even the toughest inmates bond over the care of a single stray cat. A tiny whiskered diplomat can succeed where entire programs fail. This dynamic informs my work, shaping characters that soften edges, bridge distance, and invite people, often unconsciously, to share a moment of lightness.

I work across illustration, 3D modeling, and 3D printing, blending digital tools with tactile materials to give each creature a physical presence. Whether pendant, print, or collectible, every piece is a miniature ambassador of warmth and wit — a reminder that tenderness has surprising power.