Gianni Piacentino was born in Coazze, Italy in 1945 and currently lives in Turin, Italy In 1965 he enrolled in the University of Turin where he studied philosophy until 1966. During his studies, he worked for a year as a disc jockey and worked part-time at a paint factory that produced special paints from 1967 – 1968.

Following his break from the Arte Povera* group in 1968, he purchased a 1930s Indian motorcycle that deepened a lifelong fascination, as well as an intimate knowledge of the vehicle. This captivation heavily influenced his work as an artist and eventually led to him participating in numerous motorcycle races, both as driver and sidecar passenger, between 1971 and 1977. He eventually resumed racing as a sidecar passenge...