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Illustrator Nicoletta Ceccoli Creates Surreal Fairytale Worlds With a Much Darker Side to Them

By Emma Taggart on November 9, 2026

At first glance, the soft, pastel-colored illustrations of San Marino-based artist Nicoletta Ceccoli appear sweet and innocent. However, beneath their cute appearance, her illustrations explore darker psychological themes. Her new solo exhibition, titled Under My Spell, at Corey Helford Gallery in LA explores fear, desire, emotional dependency, identity, and control.

For the last two decades, Ceccoli has been creating surreal, fairytale-like worlds that are both enchanting and unsettling. Her childlike figures inhabit fantastical landscapes filled with flowers, toys, sweets and mysterious creatures, but something darker often lurks beneath the surface. In one image, a candy dispenser is depicted as a trap, and in another, a childhood birthday party seems more like a strange nightmare.

Ceccoli’s work is a reminder of how desire can often lead to dependency, or how longing for human connection can sometimes erode your self-love and ability to set boundaries. She explains that her work visualizes “a story of a place where desires and fears, light and shadow coexist.” She adds, “Wonder is always touched by unease, and sweetness conceals something darker within a fragile balance.”

Under My Spell is currently showing in Gallery 3 of Corey Helford Gallery until December 5, 2026. You can also keep up to date with the artist’s work by following Nicoletta Ceccoli on Instagram.