The Story
From Puglia to Emilia-Romagna, from Sweden to Perugia: the journey continues
Where everything took shape: a visual gaze born in Sweden and shaped along the way.
I’m Stella, though I was born Adina Catucci. I come from Bari, a city in Southern Italy, and art has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Before it ever became a career, it was just how I saw the world: the light, the places, gestures, silences, and that subtle tension you can feel inside an image.
I started out in cinema, studying Film at DAMS, which is where I learned to look at images through rhythm, storytelling, and visual language. Later on, photography felt like a natural next step. While studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, I fell in love with black-and-white photography, experimental imagery, and off-camera techniques.
Over the years, my work has been a mix of research, exhibitions, and visual experiments. I took part in Open Tour with “Handling”, showed “Life” at Associazione Alauda in Bari, and wrapped up my Master’s in Photography with a thesis on alternative processes. I also joined a group show at the Academy during a workshop led by Mario Cresci and Paola Binante.
The year I spent in Sweden was a real turning point for me, both personally and professionally. Living there completely changed how I look at space, design, and communication. I fell in love with the clarity of Swedish design: minimal shapes, quiet compositions, functional beauty, and the idea that you shouldn't add anything unless it truly belongs there.
That experience is also what drew me to web design. It was in Sweden that I started building websites, bringing together my visual background, my love for photography, and a cleaner, more structured take on digital spaces. What started out as curiosity turned into a whole new direction: designing online experiences that feel clear, elegant, and intentional.
Today I live in Perugia (Italy) and work remotely, moving between photography and web design. I create digital spaces shaped by a quiet, essential luxury, where every visual and technical detail is crafted to strengthen the brand's identity.
Something a little more personal.
I study Swedish consistently because Sweden left me with a different way of observing things. It is not just a language: it is a form of communication that feels more direct, simpler, and often quieter. A way of removing what is unnecessary and leaving space for what matters.
Perugia, on the other hand, brings me back to an older, more layered kind of beauty. It is a vertical city, made of stone, shadow, sudden climbs and light that slowly changes across the walls. It is not a loud presence: it is a background rhythm, a discreet heart that keeps beating.
I have a great love for cats. I like them because they are independent, elegant without trying too hard, and just stubborn enough. Maybe I recognise myself a little in that balance between distance and presence.
I've been drawn to anime for years, especially the ones that can build a strong atmosphere with only a few elements: a light, a pause, a frame, a minimal gesture. Not everything needs to be explained. Sometimes it is enough to let an image stay.
Coffee remains a small daily ritual, even when it mysteriously decides to make me sleepy. In the end, I like things with character, especially when they work in their own way.
PERUGIA
A city that lives, a heart that beats.