Vanessa Safavi

Vanessa Safavi studied at the École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL) and has taken part in several international residencies, including the Istituto Svizzero in Rome (2012), Residency Unlimited in New York (2013), 92Capital in Peru (2015), Fürstenberg Zeitgenössisch (2018), and Triangle France in Marseille.

She has received important awards such as the Illy Present/Future Prize at Artissima (2012), Luci d’Artista (Turin, 2013), and the Prix Irène Raymond (2019).

Her work develops through sculpture, installation, and works on paper, with a strong focus on the relationship between body, materials, and identity.

Her research explores human fragility, sexuality, and cultural belonging, weaving together ancient references and contemporary language.

She often works with rubber, silicone, and polymers, evoking the tradition of soft sculpture and the Antiform movement, where the material itself becomes content, metaphor, and sensitive surface.

Safavi shows a deep respect for ancient cultures, translating techniques and symbols into personal narratives that question the contemporary identity of the body in the context of technological optimization.

Her work reflects on the cultural effects of life in hyper-organized societies, leading to a new form of identity marked by complexity, vulnerability, and schizophrenic fragility.

Her practice reminds us of the delicacy of our bodies and the poetry that arises from them.