About Giovanni
Since 1987-1995 Giovanni has intensively practiced the Japanese martial art of Kendo
under the guidance of masters Endo Junji and Hirano Sensei.
In 1989 he graduated cum laude from La Sapienza University of Rome, where he specialized in Jungian psychology and Eastern Religions, having studied under Vipassana teacher professor Corrado Pensa in the Philosophy faculty.
Since 1995 Giovanni has worked in Holland and Italy as a painter and poet.
He has exhibited his work in group and solo exhibitions and has held several art performances in Europe.
In 1997 his artworks were exhibited in the collective exhibition ART-WALK organized by the Council of Amsterdam.
In 1997 he held an exhibition in Amsterdam at Fenomeen, Centrum van Integrale Geneeskunde.
In 1999 he gave a seminar at the Istituto italiano di cultura in Amsterdam on the subject “Art and religious tradition in ancient Rome”.
In 2001 he had exhibitions at the PICIOCCHI gallery in Rome, the RAINBOW gallery in Amsterdam, and at the Wikkel fashion showroom in Wageningen.
In 2002 he gave an art performance in the Arturarte gallery in Settevene, near Rome.
In 2002 he held an exhibition in Palermo at the L’ALTRO ARTECONTEMPORANEA gallery.
In 2002 his exhibition TRACCE-CONFINI was held in the Castello di Sarzano near Reggio Emilia, organized by Effetto Notte.
Between 1994 and 2005 he practised Zen meditation in the French Buddhist community of Plum Village, run by Zen Master Thich Nath Hanh, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1967.
Between 2007 and 2010 he worked as live performer in Amsterdam for a Dutch artistic foundation.
Since 2005 he has been a “fardado” in the Dutch Santo Daime church.
He has published two spiritual poetry books, Dall’acqua e dal fuoco (2006, Italy) and Door water en vuur (2008, The Netherlands).
Between 2006 and 2009 Giovanni was initiated into the Kambo medicine tradition by César, a Brazilian curandero.
He has received Kambo treatments from several Brazilian curanderos, including Francescinho, an authentic shaman from Acre state in Brazil.
In 2009 he was initiated in the Bwity tradition of sacred wood by Sean Hamman and Steve Dyer.
In 2007 he published in a collective poetry book, ANTOLOGIA di POETI CONTEMPORANEI, Libroitaliano World.
In 2008 he illustrated Dante’s ‘XXIV Canto del Purgatorio’ for a collective exhibition in Milano organized by Daniele Oppi.
Since 2009 he has provided holistic treatments, reflexology and Meridian Kambo treatments and sacred wood ceremonies.
Since 2014 he has also run Kambo training courses.
He is the author of the book Kambo and Iboga: medicine sciamaniche in sinergia (2016, Italy).
From 1995-2017 he lived in Amsterdam.
In 2016 in Tepozlan (Mexico) he spoke at an international Ibogaine conference organized by GITA.
From 2017 till the end of 2018 he lived in Mexico, Tepozlan where he worked as Kambo trainer and sacred wood facilitator.
In 2020 he published a collection of poems with Dantebus ed. POESIA.
In February 2020 he gave a 5-day live art performance in Dallas during the Keller and Williams family reunion which was organized by Gary Keller.
In 2020 he held an exhibition in Villa Fidelia, Spello: STATI d’ARTE, mostra internazionale di arte contemporanea.
In 2020 he published a collection of poems with Dantebus ed., POESIA.
In 2020 exhibition in Villa Fidelia, Spello, STATI d’ARTE, mostra internazionale di arte contemporanea.
In 2021 he published ‘Kambo Iboga Ayahuasca. Synergy of Entheogens’.
In 2021 Exhibition and live art performance in Rome at M&B Design, title: Musica Giaguari Donna.
in 2022 he published an article: Adaptogens: wonders of mother Earth
Between 2019 and 2024 he worked as a painter for Keller&Williams real estate.
In 2022 Exhibition and live performance in Anahem (California) during a internation K&W international convention
In 2024 live performance and exhibition during the K&W Mega Camp in Austen (Texas).
Since 2018 he has lived in Italy.
Testimonials
"When you get in touch with Gianni Lattanzi, without any difficulty, a never ending space opens wide, at the same time present and explorable. With the sole sense of touch and intuition you confide yourself a bit anxiously, proceeding blindly toward and inside him.Nobody knows the direction of the journey, how long il will last and neither if it will last, but you go on till you get in touch with him, establishing a silent and smiling conversation.
He answers the same way, silently, welcoming us. It is a mutual opening up, two streams mixed together in a game of colors and warmths to wave together in to a powered energy. The soft reflection's game initiates an alternate dance, pushed in to a spiral which recalls and involves by empathy surrounding observers. And suddenly, easily and totally, here it comes the opening which unties personalities, generating their own beautiful peculiarities.
A generous and overwhelming strength generates out of this peculiar "emersion", accompanying and, since now, nurturing our life, with an extraordinary courage of a serene dignity of being."
Laura Turco Liveri, Critico d'Arte
"When he works, he submerges himself totally into the creation of his paintings. Observing him is something captivating. What really impress you are the determination of his gestures; the strength of his hand while holding the brush; the confidence in which he draws from chance. When he portraits somebody, all his being interacts with that person. He is able to establish such a deep contact with the subject, to merge himself into it. For this reason the lines he draws flow in a natural way as if they knew where to go, when to stop, when to become thicker and when to get thinner. It is a dance guided by the sound of flow, as a running stream. Very disciplined therefore, but not so much in learning how to draw. He just did not need it but knowing how not to be sweep away by the flood of his creative energy. His training was "sui generis" and brought him to explore thousands of facets of his creative dimensions, to discover unexpected lands as that of poetries that artists often join to the paintings.
A journey which allowed him to reach an expressive freedom so bold to be frighten, so true to be moved and so beautiful to be wishing to share.It helps us to understand that art is a dimension of life. Indeed, it is life itself."
Lella Antinozzi, Critico d'Arte
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