Born in Brescia, Italy in 1987, Andrea Zucchini is a multidisciplinary artist based in London whose work spans sculpture, installation, video, and sound. Educated at the Royal College of Art (MA Sculpture, 2013–2015) and Goldsmiths College (BA Fine Art & History of Art, 2010–2013), Zucchini crafts immersive experiences that blend geological time, mythological resonance, and psychological probes. His practice contemplates the tension between scientific observation and elemental wonder.
2. Educational Foundations & Early Work
Zucchini’s academic formation is central to his artistic identity: his MA at the Royal College sharpened his engagement with sculptural form and theory rupert.lt+2obsidiancoast.art+2obsidiancoast.art+2echogonewrong.com. His solo debut, “Alchemical Studies” (2014) at Tenderpixel in London, embodied this foundation. Through materials like cast iron, testosterone, vulcanised rubber, plaster, rainwater, and crushed antidepressants, Zucchini explored transformation, material histories, and arcane processes. The installation featured video works like “If the eye were not sun-like, it could not see the sun”, reinforcing a cosmological curiosity.
Material as Metaphor — Science and Myth Collide
At the core of Zucchini’s practice lies his poetic use of materials. Whether grounding an installation in geological strata or mythic alchemy, his work manipulates matter to probe ancient and future meanings. His artist statement from ICA reveals his interest in the “metaphorical value of materials, both within their natural and cultural histories,” indicating a deep dialogue between micro and macro scales.
This method continued with subsequent exhibitions such as “Foresight by Earth” (2016) at Tenderpixel, where hand‑carved cobalt forms and water vessels suggested elemental precognition. In “terra terra” (2017) at ARCO Madrid and “Dark waters prefer low places” (2017) in London, Zucchini expanded his material lexicon to engage with environmental and spatial narratives.
Collaboration & Collective Ritual
Zucchini has also ventured into collaborative spheres. In “¬⊙×” (2016), a two‑person exhibition with Sam Smith, he delved into digital mediation of spiritual histories using CGI and performance obsidiancoast.art+8echogonewrong.com+8editorial.lt+8echogonewrong.com+9cargocollective.com+9andreazucchini.co.uk+9. Another notable joint show, “Second Skin” (2018) with Anastasia Sosunova, included interactive sculptures crafted from clay, epoxy resin, vacuum‑formed plastic, and found objects. These collaborations highlight his interest in shared ritual, bodily form, and the emotional architecture of objects.
In addition, he undertook a Foundation in Analytical Psychology at the Society of Analytical Psychology in London (2018–2019), which reflects his introspective approach to psyche, mythology, and embodiment galerijavartai.com.
“Dreamwalker” — A Psycho‑Geological Journey
Zucchini’s 2019 solo installation, “Dreamwalker”, exhibited at Obsidian Coast, Bradford on Avon, marked a culmination of his explorations. This 4K video installation, accompanied by stereo sound, led audiences through the Camonica Valley in Northern Italy—his childhood landscape. Using psycho‑analytic narration, heavy bass, neon bodies, and geological imagery, he created a “reverie of places infused with echoes of the artist’s adolescence”.
The installation tied together layered histories: glacier‑carved Zone Pyramids, ancient engravings in the valley (dating back to the Epipalaeolithic era), and fragments of personal myth. As the work’s description states, landscapes “are perpetually shaped by colliding forces, so is the psyche,” positioning Dreamwalker as an artefact of “archaeo‑psychology”. It weaves an intimate dialogue among time, place, and memory.
Recognition & Residencies
Zucchini’s art has gained institutional recognition. He won the Carapelli for Art Prize (2019), followed by a residency at Obsidian Coast the same year. He has also participated in residencies at Fondazione Antonio Ratti in Como, Rupert in Vilnius, and received the Bloomberg New Contemporaries studio bursary in London (2017) tenderpixel.com+4andreazucchini.co.uk+4echogonewrong.com+4. He was shortlisted for the Woon Art Prize in 2013 and has been selected for upcoming residencies such as at Lucrèce (2020).
Themes & Philosophical Underpinnings
Material Histories & Transformation
Zucchini’s art probes the histories embedded in materials, whether geological sediment, alchemical compounds, or architectural fragments. Each medium becomes a vessel for stories that traverse time.
Psyche and Place
He frequently situates his work at the intersection where landscape and memory coalesce, suggesting that environments, both external and internal, are palimpsests bearing emotional sediment.
Ritual & Metaphor
Interest in ritual is evident, whether through symbolic use of materials like testosterone and antidepressants or through the structure of his installations that evoke collective and archaic rites.
Digital Mediation
He harnesses technologies like CGI and video not as tools of realism, but as conduits for mythmaking and spiritual archaeology.
Conclusion — Towards an Elements‑Driven Future
Andrea Zucchini’s art is a mesmerising fusion of science, myth, and personal narrative. Through sculptural forms, immersive installations, and moving image works, he transforms raw matter into metaphors, exploring how geology, psyche, and ritual inform our understanding of place and self. As he continues his residencies and collaborations, his interdisciplinary journey promises richer excavations into the elemental roots of human experience.
