Giorgio Zeno Graf
zeno(at)etik.com
mastodon.social
Giorgio Zeno Graf’s practice centers on sculpture, printing, and installation, with a focus on the use of materials and their ecological, historical, and symbolic resonances. Rooted in the rural landscapes of Southern Switzerland, his work draws on the forms, tools, and gestures of traditional craft—not to preserve their conservative essence, but to reimagine their relevance in contemporary life.
Through the use of jute sacks and salvaged materials, Graf explores questions of urban occupation, overconsumption, and waste, creating works that are both materially humble and conceptually layered. His approach embraces the potential of transformation, seeking symbiotic relationships between body, object, and environment.
In 2020, Giorgio Zeno Graf was awarded first prize in Le stanze dell’arte – Premio giovani artisti Genesi creativa at the M.A.X. Museo in Chiasso.
He has taken part in several group exhibitions, including at Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Istituto Svizzero (Rome), Bissone Arte 22, Castelgrande in Bellinzona (Ticino), and Spazio Fervida (Lugano).
CV
Education
2024 – 2026 (ongoing)
Master Art Education, Kunstpädagogik, ZHdK – Zurich
2023
Master Fine Arts, ZHdK – Zurich
2021
Bachelor Fine Arts, ZHdK – Zurich
Exhibitions2025
Oltre la Pietra, Matazz – Castelgrande, Bellinzona
2024
Caffè tra Artisti, December 2024 – Casa Azul, Gordola
Come una pietra che rotola – Spazio Fervida, Lugano
2023
Poetry for Revolutions – Istituto Svizzero (Rome)
Poetry for Revolutions – Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich)
Master Fine Arts Degree Show “Control” – Toni Areal, Zurich
Off grid – Material, Klingenstrasse 23, Zurich
Best of Offspace Flüelastrasse – Flüelastrasse, Zurich
2022
Bissone Arte 22 – Bissone, Ticino
Genesi Creativa, le stanze dell’arte – M.A.X Museo, Chiasso
CALCI – Ai Molti Tesori, Via corso bello 5, Mendrisio
2021
Fineally – Allmendstrasse 95, Zurich
Biophilia, Coinciding circles – ALLDA, Wiedikon
2020
Mykorrhiza – Toni Areal, Zurich
2019
«How To:» – Flüelastrasse, Zurich
1:15 – Toni Areal, Zurich
Artistic collaboration
2025
–
2026
Common land, Trickster-p
Curatorial experiences
04.2024 – 04.2025
Tra Luce e Forma, Raiffeisen Bank – Cham, Zug
2022 – 2025
Collettivo Calci – Mendrisio
2022 – 2023
Egg space, MFA, Toni Areal – Zurich
Prizes
2022
First prize - Le stanze dell’arte / Premio giovani artisti Genesi creativa – M.A.X Museo, Chiasso
Publications
2020
It’s never closed – Publication
Weaving the tangled web – Online publication
Workshops & Residencies
2022
Awaken the sleeping giants, FIT festival – LAC Lugano, CH
2021
Residence in Centre of Polish Sculpture – Oronsko, Poland