edoardo tresoldi studio visit: capturing the poetry of absence with wire mesh

originally from cambiago, a town 20 kilometres northeast of milan, italian artist edoardo tresoldi has been capturing the poetry of absence with wire mesh since 2013. by revealing the seen and the unseen, tresoldi’s large-scale installations seek to give viewers a glimpse into a world that exists between these two states.

nominated for THE DESIGN PRIZE 2019 in the category, ‘in the artistic realm’, tresoldi has recently set up a new studio in milan, which designboom visited prior to its official opening.

images by roberto conte

tresoldi’s studio opens up to an airy, brightly-lit interior that sets the tone for the practice’s approach — relaxed but disciplined. at the back of the space, a communal table hosts the creatives that mingle between computers and pieces of paper, portraying the dichotomy of the artist’s work: the industrial and the poetic, the temporary and the permanent, the classic and the contemporary.

a set of stairs leads to a second floor, which hosts an open balcony area, followed by a door that opens into tresoldi’s office. upon entering, a big sign that reads pasticceria tresoldi welcomes visitors. ‘my family used to own a pastry shop in cambiago and that is the original sign,’ edoardo remembers. ‘my grandfather started it, my father continued with it, but as they say, the third generation isn’t always a charm and I decided to part ways.’

the studio continues into a workshop and storage area where wire mesh takes over, portraying its characteristic transparency — an element tresoldi explores in his work. his interventions in the public realm — which have created responsive pieces for music and arts festivals, group showings, and public events — are intangibly beautiful, offering new perspectives on form, framework, and the fragile balance of our world.

some of tresoldi’s standout works inlcude ‘etherea‘, a baroque, neoclassical trio of structures installed at coachella; ‘aura’, a two-part floating installation that took over the halls of le bon marché in september 2017; ‘locus’ a floating boat sculpture presented as part of the derive music festival in sapri; and the ‘basilica di siponto’, which resurrected and reimagined the architectural remains of a 13th century chapel in puglia, italy. in january 2017, tresoldi was included in forbes magazine’s 30 most influential european artists under 30.

image © designboom