Michela Nardin

MNM Venezia

Mosaic maker

©Michela Nardin

©Simone Padovani

©Bruna Marchetti

Matching tiles of modernity

Michela is fascinated by artistic materials
She matches glass tiles with plaster and wood
In her vision, technique adapts to the subject

Art has always been part of Michela Nardin’s life, but the road to mosaics, for which she is now acclaimed, was winding. After studying graphics at the Art Institute and specialising in wall painting restoration, she worked for ten years as a restorer, travelling throughout Italy, until she was asked to make mosaic replicas of famous artworks in Venice, where she moved from Treviso. It was the beginning of a true call. Since then she’s worked on a personal path, creating unique pieces: panels, sculptures and furnishings. She matches the glass tiles with unexpected materials such as wood and Venetian plaster. Important steps of her research are the collection "Favorite", an exploration of women in art, and the ambitious project "Motivi", a sort of artistic mapping of Italy.

Interview

©Michela Nardin

©Michela Nardin

How do you choose your materials?: I am fascinated by the artistic materials and their various uses: I feel like they’re “alive”. Those basic ingredients meet our hands and then something happens. I’d say that every object tells me how it wants to be made. In my vision, the technique adjusts to the subject.
Where do you find inspiration?: There are so many sources: in architecture, in art, in nature. My background as a restorer has always been very important to me, to see how something has been done in the past: always with great humility. And then I’ve been trying to build my personal path, experimenting.
Do you like to work in collaborations?: I love it. Working with designers is so stimulating, it’s really challenging when you have to interpret someone else’s vision. Also, it was very interesting to collaborate with the Venetian historical furnace Orsoni, whose precious glass paste I have been using for years.
Is your "Motivi" project a dialogue with Italian art?: Yes, a dialogue and a loving tribute to the rich artistic heritage of Italy. I try to identify some peculiar details, then I realise a triptych of patterns in glass mosaic for each city. I’ve begun with Venice, then my hometown Treviso, Ravenna, Torino, now I’m working on Sicily.

Michela Nardin is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2014