Italian-Ukrainian contemporary artist Valerio Zezur presents a multidisciplinary practice in mixed media painting, writing and cultural projects centered on memory, identity, material transformation and rebirth.
-- Valerio Zezur presents a contemporary art practice shaped by matter, memory and rebirth
TAGLIO DI PO, Italy, August 29, 2026 — Italian-Ukrainian contemporary artist Valerio Zezur is consolidating an increasingly recognizable artistic path through mixed media painting, material experimentation, writing and public cultural projects. His work develops around memory, identity, belonging and transformation, using matter not as decoration, but as a physical language capable of carrying traces of human experience.
Born in Ukraine in 2001 and now based in Italy, Zezur works with acrylics, plaster, sands, fabrics, wood, metals, natural elements, reclaimed materials and gold leaf. His surfaces are built through layers, fractures, reliefs and assemblages, creating works in which the visible image is inseparable from the physical process that generated it. In his practice, the canvas becomes a place where emotional memory is transformed into presence.
Zezur’s research is rooted in personal history, but it does not remain confined to autobiography. His visual language opens private experience to broader themes: fragility, resilience, loss, reconstruction, the need to belong and the possibility of rebuilding meaning after rupture. Through this approach, his works invite viewers to recognize fragments of their own stories within layered, tactile and symbolic compositions.
The recurring use of gold is one of the distinctive elements of his artistic vocabulary. In Zezur’s work, gold does not represent luxury or ornament. It appears as a trace of light within fracture, a sign that vulnerability can become visible without being erased. The material often marks points of tension in the surface, turning scars, breaks and irregularities into areas of meaning.
Among the works that define his current research are Ferita Cucita, Cuore in Frantumi, Oro in Cammino, Luce e Ombra di Mio Padre, Dove il mare non chiede permesso, Centro Sacro – Geografia di una Rinascita and Oltre il Buio. Each piece investigates a different aspect of transformation: the relationship between origin and belonging, the coexistence of pain and affection, the force of memory, the instability of human journeys and the slow construction of a new inner geography.
The artwork Oltre il Buio holds particular relevance in Zezur’s path. Created in 2024, it was later selected as the cover image for his autobiographical book Dentro l’incubo, oltre il buio. The work brings together several central elements of his practice: darkness and light, fracture and reconstruction, material density and the search for a possible direction beyond trauma.
Alongside his visual production, Zezur has developed a multidisciplinary cultural path that includes writing, public meetings, exhibitions and music. His memoir Dentro l’incubo, oltre il buio expands the emotional and narrative dimension of his artistic research, connecting personal testimony with themes of loss, survival, identity and growth. The book is available in print, ebook and audiobook formats, with editions in Italian, English, German, Spanish and Ukrainian.
The artist has also extended this research into music through Sono libero, a song created with Mirko Giacomin as a continuation of the narrative and artistic project connected to the book. The project reflects Zezur’s interest in crossing expressive languages while maintaining the same central focus: the transformation of lived experience into a form that can generate dialogue.
Zezur’s work has been presented through exhibitions, cultural events, book presentations and collective projects in Italy and abroad. His artistic activity includes projects in cities and contexts such as Rovigo, Padua, Lecco, Turin, Berlin and Tokyo, contributing to the development of a practice that moves between local engagement and international visibility.
Public dialogue remains an important part of his work. Through exhibitions, presentations and cultural meetings, Zezur seeks a direct relationship with audiences, transforming each encounter into an opportunity to discuss art, memory and human resilience. His collaborations have also included charitable contexts, where art becomes a means of sharing, presence and emotional connection.
“Whether using a canvas, a page or a song, the intention remains the same: to transform what has been lived into something that can also speak to others,” said Valerio Zezur.
Valerio Zezur’s current body of work positions matter as a witness rather than a surface. His practice does not seek to conceal fragility, but to give it structure, visibility and form. Through painting, writing and interdisciplinary projects, he continues to build a language in which memory becomes presence and transformation becomes a shared visual experience.
About Valerio Zezur
Valerio Zezur is an Italian-Ukrainian contemporary artist based in Taglio di Po, Italy. His work focuses on mixed media and polymaterial painting, using acrylics, plaster, sands, fabrics, natural elements, reclaimed materials and gold leaf. His research explores memory, identity, belonging, fragility, resilience and rebirth. He is also the author of the autobiographical book Dentro l’incubo, oltre il buio.
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Mirko Giacomin
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Name: Mirko Giacomin
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