Denis Santelli (b. 1965) is a Paris-based artist whose practice spans digital art and painting to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology, and the natural world. 

He brings classical heritage into dialogue with technological experimentation, hybridizing traditional painting and 3D modeling. His process begins with the careful selection of a plant, chosen for its symbolism, its aesthetic, or the poetic musicality of its name. The plant is captured with a 3D scanner, then deconstructed through subtraction and translation. In 3D software, he stages this new entity: he embellishes his virtual models with artificial lighting and dramatic scale distortions, and also plays with the transparency of the plants, made possible by their digitization, lending them a strange, ghostly quality. He then reworks colors and contrasts until he has composed the image to be painted. The final result is an oil painting executed by hand. Through this interweaving of the human, the machine, and the plant world, he lays a layer of sensitive poetry over our technological world, revealing a humanity in search of balance between the living and the virtual.

Santelli attended the Lille and Douai Art Schools, and went on to receive his MFA (DNSEP) from the Northern French Higher Art School (ERSEP) in 1988. His work has been exhibited internationally, including solo shows at the Schwab Gallery in Paris and the Lise Braun Gallery in Saint-Tropez. His work has also been held at several art fairs, such as CONTEXT Art Miami, Downtown Design Dubai, and Lille Art Up. Additionally, his work has been covered in French national newspapers, and he has been interviewed by France Culture, TV5Monde, B SMART TV, and HugoDécrypte. In addition to his studio work, Santelli has taught Interactive Media Design at Léonard de Vinci University Center of Paris   and New Media Art at the National Higher School of Arts Paris-Cergy.