Luca Vanello's Material Dialogues: From Z33 Exhibition to Hybrid Installations

Luca Vanello, an artist born in Trieste, Italy, and now based in Brussels, Belgium, creates hybrid installations that blend natural and artificial elements. His recent exhibition "Withering into breath, wetness undoes itself" at Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture in Hasselt, Belgium, in 2026 showcased works featuring plants processed by removing chlorophyll, 3D-printed animal prosthetics, and humidity-sensitive sculptures. Vanello's practice spans installation, sculpture, and photography, with materials including PETG, bronze, and marine organisms. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and Universität der Künste Berlin, and participated in the HISK residency program in Ghent, Belgium. Other exhibitions include "Spine accustoms epidermis" at P.E.T. Projects in Athens, Greece, in 2025, and "Libidinous drip" at Horst Arts and Music in Brussels in 2024. His work explores boundaries between living and inert matter, often using therapeutic garden plants and technology. Vanello cites Arte Povera and science fiction literature as influences, emphasizing attentiveness to material behavior. He describes his creative process as open-ended, with works emerging from studio experimentation rather than fixed plans. The artist also writes poetic fragments and is interested in incorporating sound into future installations. The interview was conducted by DiFranco and published by Catapult, an independent editorial platform based in Vienna, Austria.