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“Lara Zappa transforms threads into poetry.
Her work doesn’t just speak; it resonates,
echoing between tradition and innovation,
weaving the intangible into the tangible.”
— Elisa Larese Moro, Art Historian
In Lara Zappa’s work, the warp is far more than a structural element: it becomes a mental architecture, a subtle network of relations that gives form to a layered, conceptual thought process. Every weave, every knot, every thread stretched across space is imbued with meaning that transcends materiality, emerging as a visual sign capable of evoking deep reflection.
Her research belongs to a significant current within Fiber Art—a movement that, since the 1970s, has woven its roots into Conceptual Art, generating artistic practices where craftsmanship becomes an act of contemplation and matter is dematerialized in favor of the idea.
Lara Zappa inherits this legacy and reinterprets it with a voice that is both personal and thoroughly contemporary. Her “tight weaving” forms a visual grammar that is essential, almost minimalist, yet saturated with perceptive density. Nothing in her works is decorative or accidental: each thread vibrates like a visual and mental impulse, a residue of energy suspended in space, balanced between presence and absence, surface and depth.
In the 2024 exhibition Art Waves: Intrecci d’Arte, held in the evocative setting of the Villa Carlotta Museum and Botanical Garden, Lara Zappa’s artworks entered into a compelling dialogue with the digital geometry and optical light of Jean Philippe Pasquier. This dual exhibition revealed two parallel modes of perceptual art: one rooted in organic fiber and tactile texture, the other in calculated light and digital form. Zappa’s contribution stood out for its capacity to draw viewers into an intimate, meditative space—where perception becomes tactile experience and silence transforms into a resonant presence.
Lara Zappa’s artistic trajectory—strengthened by her ongoing participation in Miniartextil, one of the most authoritative Fiber Art exhibitions—has recently taken an increasingly international direction. This evolution feels natural for an artist whose practice balances the slowness and precision of manual labor with an open dialogue on today’s global concerns: identity, the body, memory, and the environment.
In her new work presented in Bellagio, Zappa offers an original homage to the iconic silhouette of Lake Como. The landscape’s profile is reimagined as a tapestry of fibers, a symbolic and emotional map that condenses memory, identity, and scenic allure. Through this creation, the lake is no longer merely a view to admire—it becomes a tactile memory, a weave of stories and sensations. Fiber becomes a bridge between sensory experience and intellectual reflection, between the feeling of a place and the perception of time.
For Lara Zappa, exhibiting at the Torre delle Arti marks another pivotal moment in solidifying her status on the international stage of contemporary Fiber Art. It confirms her unique ability to fuse art and craftsmanship, material and concept, innovation and historical depth. In this special venue, her artistic inquiry finds renewed resonance, where technical finesse meets conceptual richness and the evocative power of the Larian landscape.
Her work unfolds as a poetic dialogue—a delicate yet intense conversation between a seasoned artist and a territory that has always been a source of inspiration, challenge, and wonder. Lara Zappa invites us to slow down, to look deeper, and to feel with all our senses—in a harmonious interweaving of art, nature, and spirit
Lara Zappa (Como, 1979) is an Italian artist who moves with mastery within the realm of Fiber Art, skillfully weaving together craftsmanship and conceptuality. Her artistic practice stems from a profound dialogue with the tradition of weaving, continuously evolving in response to contemporary demands, merging visual minimalism with conceptual density. Her “stringent weaving” is a language composed of knots, threads, and voids that narrate stories of identity, memory, body, and environment, transforming material into visible thought.
Zappa has exhibited regularly at Miniartextil, one of the most important international events dedicated to Fiber Art, and has participated in prestigious exhibitions in distinguished venues such as the Museo e Giardino Botanico di Villa Carlotta on Lake Como, where her work engages in a dialogue with nature and the history of the region.
In 2023, she also contributed her work to the charity auction organized by Femme Leader Mondiale in Monte Carlo, demonstrating her commitment not only to art but also to social and humanitarian causes.
Lara Zappa’s journey is marked by growing international success, reflecting the strength of an art that skillfully combines innovation and roots, technique and reflection, aesthetic vision and spiritual tension. Her practice thus confirms her as an original and indispensable voice within contemporary Fiber Art.
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Goccia Preziosa, 2025. 67×50 cm, string art and mix media
Il Tempo dell’Acqua, 2025. 67×50 cm, string art and mix media
Lake Como, 2025. 58×48 cm, string art and mix media.