Edoardo Cozzani | Visual Artist
- Onur Çoban
- Apr 15
- 5 min read
Vessel, courtesy Edoardo Cozzani
Edoardo Cozzani is a Brooklyn-based multimedia artist. Throughout his artistic journey, Cozzani traces many different geographies ranging from deserts to swamps, from mountains to vast landscapes, and his works are fuelled by his relationship with nature. Working in various media from experimental photography techniques to sculpture, from land art to site-specific installations, the artist's interests range from philosophy to physics, from sociology to material transformation. Focusing especially on the transformation process of waste into works of art, Cozzani establishes new connections between nature, human beings and time through his works questioning the evolution of matter.
His works titled Vessels and Pupae, exhibited at Alcova Milano in collaboration with Zarolat, are concrete examples of this approach. Focusing on both the cyclicality of nature and the potential of material transformation, these works open a powerful window into Cozzani's intellectual and aesthetic world.
We talked to Edoardo about his production practice, his influences and his unique relationship with nature.
Interview: Onur Çoban
Who is Edoardo Cozzani? Can you briefly tell us about yourself?
I am an Italian artist based in New York and born in Rome. I’ve always been pushing my self to get expose to different environments and situations. I believe that changing contexts both by traveling and by not getting too comfortable in the environment you live in it’s essential for personal growth. I think this has shaped my personality and naturally influenced my work. I’m restless and don’t feel fulfilled unless I’m exposed to new information that I can process and compare. I’m attracted by complexity in the way thoughts develop and are expressed, and believe that in order to achieve it one should try to stay a way from comfort and look for ways to reinvent oneself. The constant innovation in the material I use and processes I adopt sparks from a sense of curiosity and discomfort in using new elements.
How would you describe your art practice?
I believe that everything that we create is inspired by things we see around us. Hence in every object and material we craft there is always a something that resemble elements from nature. I try to focus on those kind of details present in man made materials. Then I like abstracting those objects and changing their context and application, placing them or mixing them with things present only in natural environments. This is to spark a conversation between the sciences of the spirit and the ones of nature.
Can you tell us a little bit about your works Vessels and Pupae that you exhibited with Zarolat at Alcova Milano?
Vessels and Pupae are two separate projects inspired by the concepts of stratigraphy and synthetic biology. These aim at creating a dialogue about the transformation of matter over time and the level of human intervention in the definition of future landscapes and living organisms.
Solid blocks of marble are sectioned into modules that are suspended and connected by glass blown elements fused with aluminum foil. As a sort of cultural stratigraphy the resulting columns contain materials from today that will be assimilated by the landscape over time. This is how human waste may eventually become artifact, part of the geological record of the future, highlighting the enduring impact of our collective actions.
Vessels ve Pupae, photo: Matteo Bellomo
"These glass capsules act as vessels preserving contemporary residues of our civilization, akin to fossils that preserve markers of our current era. Like the marble column, the lamps arise from the intersection of natural elements with industrial materials and techniques, focusing on the idea of metamorphosis and contamination."
The sculpted metal mesh used in casting the lamps not only shapes the glass but also serves as a symbol of human intervention within natural processes. As the metal mesh is shed, it mirrors the metamorphosis of a larva into a cocoon. This, while mimicking natural phenomena but using unnatural materials, aims at capturing a stage of creation of a new life form.
Both the columns and lamps stand as modern fossils, capturing moments that reflect our times and inviting the viewer to delve deeper into their significance. These are snapshots of the current state of things. Ultimately, this project encourages contemplation of our relationship with nature and serves as a commentary on the legacy we leave behind and the future trajectories of Earth's geological and biological landscapes.
Vessel, courtesy Edoardo Cozzani
What factors do you consider when researching materials or choosing materials for your new projects? Can you tell us a little bit about the material choices in your work?
I always try to keep the evolution of my practice consistent, both in terms of concept and in terms of process. Even if the new material or processed used is radically different form the ones used in the past I like to find a conceptual justification for that transition.
I went from taking photos to making sculptures because of a need to bring the land art installations I was photographing out ion the pictures. I started sculpting with aluminum foil because that’s the material I was using for the land art. I went into experimenting with fiberglass because it’s an industrial material that, as the aluminum foil does, interacts with light in different ways. I started using aluminum foil in the first place because I am a photographer and knowing that most of my knowledge relies on the physics of light I knew it was gonna serve me better than other materials.
Also there is a beauty in using such abstract and clean materials. They don’t interfere too much with the organic elements that I add but they still feel vaguely alien to them.
Zarolat, Edoardo Cozzani process
Can you tell us a little about the sources of inspiration behind your work? Who are the names you follow with curiosity in this field or in different disciplines?
Giuseppe penone, Fontana, Smithson, Boscosodi, Jose Davila, Alicjakwade... These are some of the names that I admire and respect. I am fascinated by the simplicity and complexity of their artistic language. How they deliver concepts that are intriguing and mysterious without over justifying. And beauty in the simple things!
I am also very interested in philosophy and science. Some of the books that really inspired me are: timaeus and critya from Plato, The discourse on method from descartes, The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral man form Julian Jaynes, Seven brief lessons on physics from Rovelli. And some more narrative books from authors such as: Bulgakov, Italo Calvino, Primo Levi, Milan Kundera and others…
