Michele Cannaò was born in Sicily in 1955, and has been living  and working in Milan since the late seventies. 

A painter and  engraver, in Milan he started working in the mixed field of figurative art and theatre, with works dedicated to bullfighting. From here, his painting career took off and found expression in the theatre piece "Grandiosa Corrida del Toro Arturo" (The Great Bullfight of Arthur the Bull - 1988).
Theatre Work:
- In 1987, he founded the Theatre Company "La Credenza", with which he staged and directed twenty plays (among which a hitherto unknown play by Dario Fo "Diario di Eva" (Eve's Diary - 1988); "Mythologìa" (Mythology) by M.Cannaò and Luigi Ceccato; and "La Croce del Sud" (The Southern Cross-'94);
- He created INFESTA (Milan, 1988-89), a non-stop event involving theatre, painting, literature, dance, poetry and music, which met with great audience approval for two consecutive seasons.
Promoter and creator of cultural events:
- In 1991, he founded the "La Credenza" studio, a laboratory for cultural meetings open to the public every Saturday, from 9pm to 3am, for a kermis of poetry, art, literature and theatrical performances (with such guests as Vincenzo Consolo, Leo De Berardinis, Maurizio Cucchi, Mario Spinella, Florestano Vancini, Marco Martinelli and Fausta Squatriti);
- In 1996, he founded and directed the Piccolo Teatro della Scaletta in Messina;
- From 1995 to 1999, sponsored by the Messina District and the Provincial Association for Tourism, he directed and organised as many as 5 versions of Kalò Nerò, an arts festival which takes place in the most evocative archaeological and historical sites of the Sicilian Ionic Riviera between Messina and Taormina.
Other:
- In 1986, he produced Il Toro Arturo (Arthur the Bull), a book of engravings depicting a fairytale by Angela Manganaro (Milan);
- In 1988, he produced Sulle tracce del Mallimachi, his first work on video;
- In 1992, together with A. Manganaro, he founded Arte Net, a quarterly arts magazine;
- In 1993, he produced Sciampuina, a pictorial/theatrical performance dedicated to Luigi Pasotelli (Umanitaria Milano);
- In 1999, he produced a catalogue raisonné of his works between 1974 and 1999, edited by Rossana Bossaglia, Angela Manganaro and Michele Passalacqua.
Michele Cannaò's artistic career, which began in the mid seventies, has been studded with a series of exhibitions that turned every show into an event. Amongst the most important of these are: the national exhibition Città del Peloro (Messina, 1977); the National Painting and Poetry Review (Museum of Folk Traditions in Rome, 1980); the Capuana Prize (Milan 1982 - 1st prize); a solo show at the exhibition hall in Cagliari and the international exhibition Per la libertà (at the Levante fair in Genoa) in 1983; a solo exhibition of his engravings Ubbro di pestali at the library of Palazzo Sormani in Milano (1989); his participation in the international exhibition of artist's books (Contemporary Art Museum in Villa Croce, Genoa, in 1990); a solo exhibition, called Luviatico, of 25 engravings on linoleum with and about texts by Vincenzo Consolo, produced in collaboration with Garzanti (Milan, 1994); in 1995, his participation in the great exhibition "100 artisti per Milano" (100 artists for Milan) at the Permanente Palace in Milano, produced by Rossana Bossaglia; a solo exhibition in the cloisters of the monastery of San Placido Calonerò in Messina; in 1999, a solo exhibition, called Labirinti, in the Hall of Mirrors of Palazzo dei Leoni in Messina.

The exhibitions in 2001:
- Luviatico, a solo exhibition held at the L'Equilibrista library - Lodi
- Cor-ride, a solo exhibition held at the Sargadelos Gallery - Milan
- Labirinti, a solo exhibition held at the Bertolt Brecht Club - Milan
- Luviatico, a solo exhibition held at the Ciovasso Gallery - Milan

The exhibitions in 2002:
- Le ragioni di un sogno, an anthology of his works from 1982 to 2002, held at the Cascina Grande in Rozzano, Milan

- A solo exhibition of  design and engraving at the Castle of Villata (VC)

The exhibitions in 2003:
A solo exhibition at the Castle of Scaletta Zanclea (ME)

The exhibitions in 2004:

A solo exhibition at Gallery IsTinto of Milan

The exhibitions in 2005:
- "Cannaò Portrait" a solo exhibition at the Castle of Villata (VC); at the "Satura" in Genova; at the Corporation of Exbitions of Petrosino (Trapani).

- "Le ragioni di un sogno", a solo exposition of  design and engraving at the Castle Visconteo of Lacchiarella (MI) and at the Cabinet of '900 of Milan.