Zoë Rivas Zanello lives and works between Trieste (IT) and London (UK). Born in London in 1994, she grew up in the Italian countryside, in the Province of Udine - close to Venice.
Zoë Rivas Zanello studied Fine Arts at the Istituto d'Arte 'G. Sello' in Udine (Italy), specialising in pictorial, sculptural and architectural skills. She was given the Merit Award at the end of her studies in 2013. She then went on to complete a BSc in Psychology at the University of Trieste in Italy in 2018, writing a thesis about Neuroesthetics. In 2020, she obtained an MA in Arts and Heritage at Maastricht University with a thesis about the Sustainability of International Artist Residencies in London. She has completed two years at Turps Independent Art School in London (Correspondence Course, 2022-2024), under Andrea Medjesi and Simon Bill.
Her work has been shown in numerous group exhibitions. She has now shown her work in Florence, Portogruaro, Udine & London. In 2023, she was artist-in-residence at Contemporary Fire, project curated by Caterina Fondelli, (Cerreto Guidi - Firenze, Aug-Sept 2023). She is part of the international artist collective UNPRIMED, who organise regular exhibitions in London.
Alongside her artistic research, Zoë Rivas Zanello works as a freelance arts professional. She has written numerous articles for Kooness, and works as an independent editor for curatorial texts, exhibition texts and artist statements. She currently coordinates and curates projects for Neo Associazione Culturale in Italy, and works in communication and development for the Dutch art foundation The Artist and the Others.
cv
b. 1994
London - Trieste
selected exhibitions
-
Mar 2025, Collective Exhibition, at Safehouses 1&2, London (GB).
-
Oct 2024, ‘Layers’, Collective Exhibition, at Brixton Department Stores, London (GB).
-
Sept 2024, ‘Libridiversi’, Group Exhibition curated by Punto d’Arte Benandante, Portogruaro (IT).
-
Jan-Feb 2024, ‘Exploring grief and loss through art’ Group Exhibition curated by Nadia Nervo at Willesden Gallery, London (GB).
-
Nov 2023, ‘ORCHESTRAZIONI #30’, Group Exhibition curated by Punto d’Arte Benandante, at PAB Gallery, Portogruaro (IT).
-
Sept 2023, ‘Rapsodia dell’Abbondanza’, Group Exhibition curated by Caterina Fondelli, at Spazio MURKA, Florence (IT).
-
Sept 2023, ‘Do not Swallow’, Collective Exhibition, at Safehouses 1&2, London (GB).
-
Sept 2023, Art Residency 2023 - Open Studio Weekend: Lucien Anderson & Zoë Rivas Zanello, Exhibition curated by Caterina Fondelli, Cerreto Guidi – Florence (IT).
-
July-Aug 2023, ‘Un-Earthed’, Curated by Week 45 Collective, at 54 The Gallery, London (GB).
-
July 2023, il lato b di ‘Io e te e tutti quelli che conosciamo’, Group Exhibition curated by Culturale Neo, at Magazzino del Sale di Villa Ottelio Savorgnan – Ariis di Rivignano Teor, Udine (IT).
-
Mar-Apr 2023, ‘Mud, for you’, Collective Exhibition – Turps Student Cohort, Fitzrovia Gallery, London (GB).
-
Jan-Feb 2023, ‘Io e te e tutti quelli che conosciamo’, Group Exhibition curated by Paolo Toffolutti, at Nuovo Tiglio in Moruzzo, Udine (IT).
residencies & projects
-
July-Sept 2024, Independent Residency Project, Skidia - Thassos (GR)
-
Aug-Sept 2023, Art Residency 2023 at Contemporary Fire, Curated by Caterina Fondelli, Cerreto Guidi – Florence (IT).
-
2022-2023, Independent Project, Carso area (IT).
education
-
2022-2024, Turps Correspondence Course at Turps Independent Art School in London (UK).
-
2019-2020, MA in Arts and Heritage: Management, Policy and Education, Specialisation in Arts and Audiences, at Maastricht University (NL), Research Dissertation on the Sustainability of International Artist Residencies in London.
-
2018-2019, Pre-master’s in Arts & Culture at Maastricht University (NL)
-
2014-2018, BSc in Psychology at the University of Trieste (IT), Dissertation on Neuroesthetics, Subjectivity and self-reflection in front of artworks.
-
2008-2013, Fine Art Diploma, Istituto d’Arte ‘G. Sello’ Udine (IT), Final project on Subjectivity & Feminism in Art.
