“primavera” takes its name from Arcimboldo’s eponymous painting. In his portrait, a woman’s face is composed entirely of flowers, leaves, and plants, symbols of rebirth and renewal. In this interpretation, “primavera” marks the intersection between two ongoing projects: “The Gatherings of Glass Animals” and the “Teste Composte” mirrors (inspired by Arcimboldo’s paintings).
Glass flowers, swirls, and rosettes, motifs historically tied to Venetian mirror-making, are gathered into molten glass, where they fuse, drift, and transform. Some embody techniques and forms passed down since the 1800s; others are reimagined through a vivid, contemporary use of colours, opening a dialogue between memory and invention.
This work goes beyond reinterpreting tradition. It deliberately draws on a visual language that is widely recognised and culturally familiar, only to shift the perspective, juxtaposing vocabularies, layering positions, and driving the emergence of new meanings. Ornament becomes a means of questioning conventions, transforming the familiar into the unexpected. Like the Teste composte mirrors, these lamps play with ornamentation while proposing a shift in perspective.
Lucia Massari is a designer whose work lies at the crossroads of craft, materiality, and emotional expression. Rooted in a deep appreciation for traditional techniques, her practice playfully challenges convention by blending meticulous craftsmanship with experimentation and irony.
Flitting between two and three dimensions, she often blurs the boundaries between image and object, surface and structure, embracing imperfection and the element of surprise. Through collaborations with local artisans, Massari transforms everyday objects into layered experiences that reveal hidden narratives and subtle tensions.
Her projects investigate how materials and colours carry memory and meaning, inviting viewers to look beyond surface beauty to the complex histories embedded within.