, is an artist whose work delves into societal issues through the lens of her 

. She offers an unfiltered critique of political, economic, and social systems, employing a diverse range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, psychology, performance, and activism. While pursuing her Master's in Fine Arts at Columbia University in New York, she was profoundly influenced by her professors 

, shaping the direction of her artistic practice. 

I was born in 1986 and have experienced firsthand the powerlessness that is a recurrent theme for my generation. From the 2008 economic collapse to the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, millennial adulthood is a story of disappointed expectations. While acknowledging the hurt that these crises have caused, I also see these events as an opportunity to re-evaluate faulty systems and to purge the repressed secrets, anxieties, and systemic injustices that brought us to this point of governmental and economic collapse. I also challenge the underlying moral beliefs that continue to motivate damaging ways of life—for example, the fetishization of hard work.


When you ask Basso Pietrobon about the core of her practice, she explains: "I am not afraid of using my practice as an outlet for emotion—and many of my projects are geared towards uncovering human psychology and motivations. I aim to reimagine society’s structure and relationship with wealth through critical works that envision and enact supportive, women-led leadership models within the arts and, hopefully, the world at large. I use projects such as Dimmi, Amore and The Fondamenta to turn the system on itself and spread. Ultimately, I see my works as sites of encounter, open invitations to my viewer to reinvent themselves and the world around them. I perform the drama of life so that my viewers can see their own lives more clearly and feel less alone. Do you see me? Do you feel me? Do you hear me? Do you receive me? Do you see yourself? Do you find yourself? Are you witnessing yourself?"

 Sarah Sze said "you had such a unique past working in architecture, fashion, dance, and lighting -- and since all these are a form of art, I want to see you mix all these fields together rather than keeping them separate."  That advice gave Basso Pietrobon the courage to focus on mixing these fields, and allowed her to believe that she had to go where space was. As difficult as it was to leave New York, I put my practice first and left the city for a very small town an hour away from Venice -- because her distant relative offered her space in his closed down ceramic factory.

Rirkrit Tiravanija taught me the importance of community, offering social spaces for people to gather, think, and perhaps even make. This inspired The Fondamenta, and other projects such as Seasonal (Sow, Sew & So), and Bella Ciao.

Many of my works repurpose discarded materials which vary from high-quality scraps of cashmere and marble to corroded pipes and rusted rotor discs. By giving these scraps a second life, I turn consumer culture on its head. A significant part of my use of these materials is understanding the cycle of their creation and consumption. I visit factories, learn about product histories, and spend months researching the raw materials. This process also entails collaboration—working with factory owners and employees, learning from their experiences and embodied knowledge allows me to bring the important conversation of the factory and sustainable production into the realm of art. The intention of my work is to open discussion for us all to be responsible for the affects on the planet, from the way we farm to the way we produce products, and consume – for us to think of the circular economy. I look to the future with hope, believing that we as humanity will support the planet so she can regain her health and balance.

My work registers a push-and-pull with my family legacy. I embrace the material knowledge imparted by my grandparents and parents who worked in ceramics, product design, stonemasonry, construction, textiles, acting, teaching, and entrepreneurship. I also draw heavily upon my Italian roots and, after relocating to Italy in 2019, have immersed myself in its rich cultural history, looking to reference points as varied as Giorgio de Chirico, Carlo Scarpa, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Cy Twombly, Jannis Kounellis, Marisa Merz, Maria Montessori, Antonio Gramsci, Alighiero Boetti, and Gio Ponti.


After graduating in 2017, Basso Pietrobon returned to her family's small 

, Italy, to immerse herself in the local culture and history that had shaped her life. There, she focused on creating art using high-quality discarded 

 from factories throughout the country. By exploring Italian histories and translating them into her art, Basso Pietrobon's practice has evolved to address global issues and missions. Her work is organized around various themes, which she collectively refers to as the Agenda.

Recently, she has performed during the Salone del Mobile in Milan and the opening weekends of the Biennale in Venice. She also collaborates with brands, as well as international architects and designers.

_Portfolio_

Furniture

Performance

Painting

Photography

Drawing

Sculpture

Tapestry

Video

Print

Light

3D Rendering

Ceramic

Participatory

Sound

BTM - Cassola-vase

Cassola Vase

CS- WHYBAMF? 04

Who Have you Become a Machine for? 04

Home

Visual Story: Break the Mold

Performance: 'Lamp Lady', Venice Biennale 

Performance: 'Lamp Lady', Salone del Mobile

Assignment: Challenge Poetry 

Assignment: Ideal Government

Assignment: Reprogram

Assignment: Youth Talent

Assignment: Community

Assignment: Gratitude

Assignment: Grandparents stories

Brick Block, Tick Tock

Sow, Sew and So

Dimmi, Amore

Break the Mold

Restore, Rebuild

W/hole

Alpha

A Likeness

The Fair Sex

Grey Period

Copper Nail

Roaring in Silence

Peering at the Faint Lights 

Blood Feather

In Search for Lost Time

Sardinia, Sardegna

The Fondamenta

Thank you

Bodies of Water

The Conscious Cricket

A curated collection of artwork spanning a variety of multidisciplinary materials. The pdf is a work in progress.

Jenna Basso Pietrobon

Visual Story: Break the Mold