Vincenzo de Cotiis is a Milan-based architect, artist, and interior designer, whose work crosses boundaries by melding found and new materials into sculptures and furniture pieces. With work that speaks to the past, present and future, he explains to Karen McCartney his artistic process, the joy of material alchemy and why his wife Claudia Rose is the powerhouse partner behind the recently launched Vincenzo de Cotiis Foundation in Venice.
Each piece in this exhibition, Archaeology of Consciousness, feels that it has simply been exposed through erosion, and somehow always existed. Yet, in reality, they are the result of a skilled and complex artistic process. How does the creation of an object begin?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: The process, as is often the case with artistic processes, is a search for truth. For example, this could be a material truth, quantitatively knowing the weight, quality, and minerality of an ancient marble, or it can be a personal truth, accessed through memory or historical research. This brings me to the question of originality because even if something has always existed but never been displayed, it is in the act of revealing that originality is uncovered. The marble elements of my artworks originated millennia ago, in the formation of mountains, and would never have seen the light of day before being excavated. Creation on that scale is incomprehensible, but the way I piece together original concepts and manipulate materials is where creation begins for me.
Each piece combines a number of your favoured materials – resin, fibreglass, cast brass, semi-precious stones, glass – and yet, in the final piece, they meld together so that in the final sculptural outcome, the viewer is conscious of the whole, not the parts. Is there a lot of trial and error in the process to achieve this sense of a unified whole? How hands-on are you in the process of making?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: Everything begins as a sketch but ends up as a hand-crafted object. This physical transformation is vitally important to me; there is no replacement for the sense of tactility you get from materials when you can feel them physically in your hands. This intimate understanding of the materials and how they operate and react to one another is necessary to bring materials of opposing natures together to form a harmonious whole. This has taken a lifetime of experimentation; trial and error is necessary for the creative process. Otherwise, no risks are taken.
Vincenzo and Claudia Rose De Cotiis are photographed at the Archaeology of Consciousness exhibition at the Vincenzo de Cotiis gallery in Milan as part of Milan Design Week | Photographed by Lillie Thompson exclusively for est living.
Textures and the play of tones through gilding and hand- painting, as one material segues into another, are used to remarkable effect. Do you enjoy the alchemy of how surface treatment transforms an object?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: As with most objects, all we see and interact with is a surface’s top layer. This is what is presented to the world, and in many ways, its superficiality can be its defining quality. However, I always want to counteract this, and I use many techniques on the surface of my artworks that help the viewer understand its true nature underneath. Patination, especially on fibreglass and metals, is a reactionary process that changes the chemistry of its material. It’s a permanent effect that protects the material but allows access to its inner nature, demonstrating how it behaves under certain circumstances.
The door to the gallery office shows how the same monumental themes are present in the architecture of the space | Photography by Lillie Thompson
Every perspective in the gallery effectively frames the works for maximum impact. These more intimate spaces illustrate how a work could be introduced into a home, demonstrating how the plinth and the form collaborate to create a sculptural whole | Photography by Lillie Thompson
The act of recycling and restoring – giving new identities (and beauty) to unloved or neglected materials – is very powerful in your work. Do you gather elements that may have a future use without knowing quite how or when they might be used?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: There is always a vision in my mind. Whether a reclaimed material will play a part in that vision seamlessly, or need a lot of work, it works either way. What I prioritise is the sense of history, and its past lives that I can augment and channel.
Part of the success of the pieces is the juxtaposition of high and low materials, raw and refined, artisanal and technical, yet all overseen by your instinctive response to the materials. Over the years of creating this work, what boundaries do you find yourself pushing with each show?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: The tension created by introducing opposites to each other and seeing how they interact will always remain at the heart of my work. These reactionary effects can be studied and understood; my job is to delineate harmony from chaos.
While the street-facing aspect of the Vincenzo de Cotiis Gallery is crisp and stark, the area to the back of the gallery presents a moodier aspect. As such, the works take on a different tone and modularity. Shown here is a sculptural form on a pitted Brutalist plinth | Photography by Lillie Thompson
The statement that you have ‘Tried to freeze time with these objects’ is so accurate. They become of their own time, hard to date and pin down, and in an era of design churn, you transcend the cycle. Is this longevity important to you?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: Not simply longevity but timelessness. Longevity looks only forward, whereas my work speaks to past, present and future all at once. When you approach the concept of time in a material sense – not as an abstract concept but in terms of how to represent the temporal nature of the physical object in front of you – one tends towards the idea of atomic singularities. By these, I mean objects that are layering different temporal aspects over one another, time and time again, collapse narratives in on themselves, creating a very dense heart to the artwork. A single, minute reference, for example, a single linear mark, could speak to an ancient historical aspect, like a cut or scar in a prehistoric rock face, or also a hope and dream I have for many millennia in the future, simultaneously.
The main gallery, with its precision and scale, is perfect for displaying the key pieces of the Archaeology of Consciousness exhibition. The melding of materials from rough to smooth, patinated to polished, is evident as specially selected stones combine with brass and fiberglass to produce table and bench forms | Photography by Lillie Thompson
Sculptural wall lights, which evoke the essence of rediscovered relics, glow through Murano glass | Photography by Lillie Thompson
I first saw your work in the show En Plein Air at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London in 2018, and what struck me was not only the power of the pieces themselves but also the curation of the space itself. As an architect, do you bring that spatial awareness to the placement of each piece? When planning a show, how do you determine which pieces sit well together?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: I’m very fortunate to work with other pioneers in the field of art and collectible design, who also allow me the freedom to explore the totality of my ideas. Curating a show is often more intuitive and collaborative than one might think. I do feel that when viewed together, my artworks complement each other. They make sense together visually because they are all born from the same consistent concepts within me. Whether a vessel or a much larger sculptural piece, all are born from the same thought processes, as is seen in the interior design projects I have undertaken. I approach every project, every exhibition, every collection, and each artwork in the same way: holistically.
Your work has a great deal of personality and character. When a piece is complete, and fully resolved, how does that make you feel? And how do you hope the viewer feels?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: Many people will say that an artwork is never finished, but I have always felt that once you can feel the spark of life in a piece, those vibrations underneath your fingertips, it’s time to cut the umbilical cord and release it into the world. It’s not for me to say how a viewer would respond to my work; I intend them to speak for themselves.
In April 2024, the Vincenzo de Cotiis Foundation opened with the installation of Archaeology Of Consciousness Venice (shown on these pages), featuring a monumental series of arches made from ancient stone, marble, and Murano glass. The use of fibreglass references the “futuristic ambitions of the artist” | Photography by Wichmann + Bendtsen Photography, courtesy of Vincenzo de Cotiis Foundation
Often, your pieces are used as spectacular one-offs – I have seen a dining table in the Sydney home of gallerist and philanthropist Dr Gene Sherman – but your own Milan apartment and other settings such as the Palazzo Giustinian Lolin (shown), where there are multiple pieces, it manages not to feel overwhelming. What is your secret to achieving this balance?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: Balance is achieved through conceptual consistency. A lot of thought goes into everything I do, of course, but my motivations are, in truth, very simple. I have a deep fascination for material and its relationship with light and time. When these interests combine across a whole interior space, especially a domestic space such as my own home, they provide a very straightforward direction for me. Metal, stone, glass and fibreglass are materials I return to time and time again, as each has particular reflective and refractive properties that entrance me and also embody different aspects of a temporal spectrum. It’s an eternal quest I pursue, to capture light and time together endlessly.
With all your work, there is this sense of looking back to look forward – to be intensely of the moment by drawing intelligently and creatively on the past. What is next for you creatively?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: My thoughts for the future, as they have been for a long time, are centered on Venice and the foundation I have opened there. The space is both a summation of my artistic journey and a consolidation of the history of La Serenissima. The light and natural environment of Venice is representative of my work, and its beauty is unparalleled. However, I hope those with the power to do so also draw intelligently on the past and look to preserve the city for another millennium at least.
“I have always felt a sense that once you can feel the spark of life in a piece, those vibrations underneath your fingertips, it’s time to cut the umbilical cord and release it into the world.”
– Vincenzo de Cotiis
Photography by Wichmann + Bendtsen Photography, courtesy of Vincenzo de Cotiis Foundation
Through the process of restoration, Vincenzo worked with what existed, tapping into the typically Venetian colour palette with the terrazzo floors and original silk wall coverings. The beauty and placement of Vincenzo’s work acts, in some instances, as a counterpoint to the context and, at other times, chimes in sympathy | Photography by Martin Morrell
Your partnership with Claudia Rose De Cotiis appears to underpin your work, including her initiation and oversight of the foundation in Venice. What is the key to such a successful partnership?
Vincenzo de Cotiis: Our partnership, both personally and professionally, is deeply integral to our success. Claudia Rose brings formidable business, finance, and organisational management acumen, which complements my focus on our work’s artistic and creative aspects. This synergy allows us to cover all necessary ground with efficiency and insight.
The key to our successful partnership lies in our mutual respect for each other’s expertise and our shared vision for our projects, including the foundation in Venice. This mutual understanding, love and respect facilitate a seamless integration of our skills, ensuring that both the creative vision and the business strategy are aligned, which is essential for any successful enterprise.
This feature originally appeared in our Milan 2024 Special Issue of est magazine.
Photography by Martin Morrell
“This has taken a lifetime of experimentation, and trial and error is a very necessary part of the creative process. Otherwise no risks are taken.”
– Vincenzo de Cotiis
Photography by Martin Morrell
Photography by Martin Morrell
