Lucia Massari lives and works in Venice—a biographical detail that is far from marginal, but rather a testament to her deep connection with the city, its environment, history, and culture. Her artistic research originates from an ongoing dialogue with the local territory and its artisanal traditions, which the artist reinterprets in a contemporary key through direct collaboration with local craftsmen. Her work moves between experimentation and memory, contemporaneity and tradition, as exemplified by the series Teste Composte, composed of decorated mirrors and mirror panels.
These works are created in collaboration with artisans specialized in Murano glassmaking, particularly in the production of Venetian mirrors—objects that historically embody the Baroque spirit, with a sumptuous and ostentatious aesthetic. Massari reimagines this visual heritage in an ironic and playful way: she forgoes the use of gold—the color traditionally symbolizing Baroque opulence—and replaces it with vivid, bright tones, thus subverting traditional codes and giving the works a contemporary and humorous character.
From an iconographic perspective, the artist draws inspiration from the famous portraits of Arcimboldo, in which human faces are composed by juxtaposing natural elements and objects. Similarly, in Teste Composte, faces emerge from a collection of decorative components typical of Venetian tradition: scrolls, leaves, flowers, and ornamental motifs combine to form eyes, noses, mouths, beards, and hairstyles, giving rise to curious hybrid figures.
Among the works in the series is Hand Mirror, in which the artist creates an anthropomorphic mirror with a playful, almost theatrical character. On the glass, a smiling face takes shape: the scrolls become eyes, mouth, and hair, enriched with small decorative flowers, while a pink nose and a lively bow tie complete the composition. The object, while retaining its functional purpose, transforms into a character, inviting the viewer to engage in a direct and ironic dialogue with their own reflected image.
In this way, Massari succeeds in merging craftsmanship, tradition, and experimentation into a personal visual language, capable of paying homage to Venetian history while reinventing it with lightness and imagination.

Lucia Massari, Hand Mirror
from the series Teste Composte
30x25x4 cm
Fretworked Murano mirror decorated with coloured glass elements
Edition of 12

10/01/26