Photo by Linda Scuizzato
"For most people who grow up in Murano, glass is an indissoluble lifelong experience. I believe that I am a contemporary person; therefore, I feel the necessity of expressing myself in a modern way. I also recognize that since I grew up on this particular island tradition pervades my soul as an invisible poison. After assimilating the techniques of glassmaking I felt that the material held its own highly expressive potential beyond skill or aesthetics. It seemed to me that the ability of glass to give visibility to an object, while simultaneously keeping that object hidden and impenetrable, was extraordinary and under recognized. Although technique and the research of materials interest me a lot, I don’t search for pure virtuosity. It is not a matter of refusing to recognize already historicized situations; the tradition and contemporary simply coexist in my works. In this union the two elements spar from the same creative room, sometimes in discontinuous and/or violent ways. My installations and performances take shape within this ambience".
Andrea Penzo was born in 1969 in Murano island, Venice, where he’s still working. He is a glass artist and lampworker. Since 2009 he has been part of an artistic duo, Penzo + Fiore, which creates installations and performances of contemporary art. He is also founders of Cantiere Corpo Luogo, an association with the mission of improve contemporary art, artists work and glass.
He starts working for Alfredo Barbini at the beginning of the Ninety, in moleria. After that, he works in the family company Veronese Maria, like lampworker. In 1998 he opens his own company, Veronese Vetro. The production was based on a particular lampworking technique, vetro insedà, glass on copper wire interlaced with silk.
In 2002 he stopped dealing with the production of glass works and he began to work as an independent glass artist. Within a short period of time, he was bringing home major awards. He became a professor at the School of Glass of Murano Abate Zanetti and also taught various courses at different universities and academies. In addition, while teaching at the Pittsburgh Glass Centre and he participated in the conference "Transformational Matter - Glass Art Society" in Pittsburgh USA and then proceeded to exhibit at the "International Biennale" in Cheongju, Korea.
In 2004 Andrea Penzo was one of the founder of Overglass, the non-profit organization with the mission of promoting awareness of Murano’s younger generation of glassmakers.
In 2005, Penzo begins to approaches the art of performance and installation. He exhibited several times in Italy and abroad. He took part in various events at the Venice Biennale: 52. Biennale di Venezia - PPP3 Performative – Paper Project. 10th Biennale di Architettura di Venezia,“CZ_VPI2006”, Video Performance & Interactive Urban Art. “La cheba dei matti”, San Servolo island, project in collaboration with La Biennale di Venezia, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa and Scuola del vetro Abate Zanetti.
Starting in 2009, many of his works were made together with Cristina Fiore, forming their own duo. Hand-in-hand, they begin to give life to Cantiere Corpo Luogo. This entity operates contemporarily, activating regeneration processes to enhance public or private spaces through curatorial projects.
From 2013, Penzo + Fiore began collaborating with Berengo Studio, which makes them join their group of artists, producing some of their largest installations, which are made in its furnace. In the same year they exhibit the piece “Black” with the collection of Fucina degli Angeli in Oderzo Cultura foundation. The same work was chosen for the international glass event “Glassfever”, Dordrecht, Nederland.
In 2017 Andrea Penzo creates a new collection of artistic works “Alchemical Botany” made by insedà, the technique in copper, glass and silk of his tradition.
In 2018 he has been chosen for the Fashion Show of the Glass Art Society, for the conference “Il percorso di vetro, the glass path” that takes place in Murano Island. During the same event, he is also part of the exhibition Lux-Lumen in Berengo Foundation.
In June he is going to present the conference “Murano Magma” in Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi, a reflection about contemporary art and glassmaking.