Winner of the Graphics section of the 2026 Marchionni Prize, Stefano Luciano talks about his research into engraving, photography, industrial archaeology and new experiments.
Stefano Luciano is the winner of the Graphics section of the eleventh edition of the Marchionni International Art Prize. The Vicenza-born artist won over the jury with Simply love, a work that encapsulates years of research focused on photography, engraving, and the spaces of industrial archaeology. In an interview with Unica Radio, Luciano retraces his artistic journey and discusses the significance of a victory that came at a time of profound personal and professional change.
Stefano Luciano and his artistic training
The path of Stefano Luciano He began his studies at art high school and continued at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, where he first studied painting and then graphic art. Engraving became a central focus of his research. Photography, however, came almost by chance, during a course he attended in the 2000s.
The camera allows him to observe abandoned factories, derelict structures, and places marked by the passage of time between Venice and Vicenza. These images, initially used as details or backdrops, gradually become protagonists. The artist breaks them down, fragments them, and reconstructs them through engraving and painting techniques, creating works suspended between photography, figuration, and abstraction.
Industrial archaeology as a human story
At the heart of the research of Stefano Luciano There are no simple buildings or machinery. Industrial archaeology becomes a starting point for discussing humanity. In his works, the human figure often disappears, but its presence remains perceptible through the empty spaces, traces, and memories of places.
It is precisely this absence that makes the works particularly evocative. The environments tell stories without directly showing those who lived in them. Photography thus becomes a tool for capturing a trace, while engraving allows it to be transformed and reinterpreted.
“Simply Loving”, the winning work
With Simply love, Stefano Luciano takes this reflection to an even more intimate level. The title contains a play on meanings and becomes almost a phrase suspended in the depicted space. The word "to love" immediately suggests a feeling, but it can also open up a different, more bitter and provocative reading.
The work doesn't seek to offer a precise answer. Instead, it leaves the viewer free to choose their own interpretation. The space becomes a mental stage where words, memories, and the absence of people converge.
La vittoria assume inoltre un significato particolare perché arriva dopo una fase di transizione. Dopo tredici anni di attività a Vicenza, Luciano ha chiuso il precedente studio-galleria e sta costruendo una nuova dimensione professionale nei Colli Euganei. Il nuovo spazio comprenderà atelier, laboratorio e stamperia, diventando un luogo dedicato sia alla produzione sia allincontro con il pubblico.
Il Premio Marchionni e i nuovi progetti
Il Premio Marchionni 2026 ha raccolto 410 opere, con quaranta lavori arrivati alla fase finale nelle sezioni Grafica e Pittura. La vittoria di Stefano Luciano è stata accompagnata da un premio di mille euro e dalla possibilità di esporre in due importanti sedi, l’Archivio Lazzaro di Milano e il Museo Cà la Ghironda di Bologna.
Per l’artista, il riconoscimento rappresenta una spinta a proseguire una ricerca già in evoluzione. Accanto all’incisione, sta sviluppando una nuova serie pittorica composta da sette grandi opere realizzate su legno di pioppo, con un procedimento vicino alla logica del monotipo.
Il progetto parte ancora una volta dal territorio. L’obiettivo è costruire un percorso legato ai luoghi vicini alla sua nuova casa-studio, per poi ampliare progressivamente lo sguardo verso altri contesti e nuove esposizioni. Un percorso che conferma la direzione di
Stefano Luciano: partire da un luogo concreto per arrivare a una riflessione più ampia sull’esistenza, sulla memoria e sulle persone.
