STATEMENT
Deeply rooted in the autobiographical dimension, Martina Zanin’s practice investigates complex relational dynamics shaped by absence, memory, trauma, tension, and power. Through the use of different media—from photography to sculpture and installation—the artist explores the subtle threshold between protection and control, placing vulnerability
at the heart of her practice. Her works manifest in a dimension of attraction and repulsion, vulnerability and vigilance, recalling the predator-prey dynamic. Her research also extends to the relationship between human and animal, activating metaphors and parallelisms, cross-cutting reflections that bring out tensions and possibilities for transformation. Her work reflects a strong interest in psychology, ethology, philosophy, literature, and spirituality, and her creative process is often grounded in extensive research.
BIOGRAPHY
Martina Zanin (b. 1994, San Daniele del Friuli) is an Italian artist who lives and works in Rome. Her artistic practice interrogates dynamics of power and authority within familial and affective relationships, with particular emphasis on the fragile boundary between protection and control. Her work spans photography, writing, installation, sculpture, and artist’s books.
Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows both nationally and internationally, including Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Rome (2026); Fondazione AGO, Modena (2025); GNAMC – Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome (2024); IIC Toronto (2024); Cassina Projects, Milan (2024); Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (2023); Foto Forum, Bozen (2023); Fondazione Orestiadi, Gibellina (2023); Benaki Museum, Athens (2022); IIC Abu Dhabi (2021); FMAV – Fondazione Modena Arti Visive (2021); galleria studiofaganel, Gorizia (2021); Goethe Institute, Rome (2017).
In 2024, she is among the finalists of the Talent Prize InsideArt. She won the Premio Terna 2023 with the installation Dear F. In 2021, she won the first prize of Camera Work, and was among the recipients of Giovane Fotografia Italiana and Cantica21. Italian Contemporary Art Everywhere, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC). Zanin is the author of the photobook I Made Them Run Away, published by Skinnerboox, and Older Than Love, a self-published artist book.
Her works are part of public collections such as MoMA Library (New York); Haas Library, Yale University (New Haven); Fondazione AGO (Modena); MEP – La Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris); Fondazione Orestiadi (Gibellina). She has been a guest lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University, RUFA, University of Trieste, NABA, and FMAV – Scuola di Alta Formazione.
SELECTED SOLO SHOWS
2026
Skin to Skin, Bone to Bone, BCC Udine, IT
Every Caress, A Blow, Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Rome, IT
2024
I Made Them Run Away, IIC Toronto, CA
2023
Please, don’t ever come down, Foto Forum, Bozen, IT
2021
Older Than Love, IIC Abu Dhabi, Fann À Porter, Dubai, AE
I Made Them Run Away, Spazio Labò, Bologna, IT
I Made Them Run Away, Palazzo Rasponi II, Ravenna, IT
I Made Them Run Away, Studio Faganel, Gorizia, IT
2020
I Made Them Run Away, Panoramic Festival, Barcelona, ES
2019
I Made Them Run Away, Leporello, Rome, IT
2018
I Made Them Run Away, JEST, Turin, IT
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
2025
– Passaggi/Paesaggi, Fondazione Ago Modena, Modena, IT
2024
– Talent Prize InsideArt, GNAMC – Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome, IT
– Il gioco delle Identità, Roma Arte in Nuvola, Rome, IT
– After Reminiscence, Cassina Projects, Milan, IT
2023
– Premio Terna – Driving Energy, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, IT
– Human x Nature – The Hunt, Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Rome, IT
– Molteplicità, Gibellina PhotoRoad, Fondazione Orestiadi, Gibellina, IT
– A Man’s World, Cavallerizza Torino, Turin, IT
2022
– Italian Panorama, BASE Milano, Milan, IT
– Good Advice & Other Recipes, Benaki Museum, Athens, GR
– AXES-SAM Residency Program, Fonderia 20.9, Verona, IT
2021
– Older Than Love, Nuove Acquisizioni – Cantica21, FMAV – Fondazione Modena Arti Visive, Modena, IT
– Metafotografia III, BACO – Base Arte Contemporanea, Bergamo, IT
– RECONSTRUCTION – Giovane Fotografia Italiana, Cortona On The Move, Cortona, IT
– CORPOREA, Studio Faganel, Gorizia, IT
– RECONSTRUCTION – Giovane Fotografia Italiana, Fotografia Europea, Reggio Emilia, IT
– Premio Francesco Fabbri, Fondazione Fabbri, Pieve di Soligo, IT
2020
– SHIFT, Studio Faganel, Gorizia, IT
– Spazio Libero – Immagini per riabitare la città, Reggio Emilia, IT
2019
– AXIS – SAM Residency Program, Bosco Chiesanuova, IT
– Sistemi, Centrale Festival 11, Fano, IT
2018
– I Made Them Run Away, PhotoEspaña, Madrid, ES
2017
– Più Culture, Goethe-Institut, Rome, IT
2015
– DRD4-7R – Futuro anteriore, Spazio Fontana, Palazzo Esposizioni, Rome, IT
– LA GRANDE ALLUSIONE: 1974-2015, MLAC-Museo Laboratorio di Arte Contemporanea, Rome, IT
AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES
2026
The Blackbird Residency, Montana, USA
2025
FUTURES Photography (nominated by CAMERA – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia)
2024
Talent Prize InsideArt (finalist)
2023
Premio Terna | Driving Energy (winner)
Premio Francesco Fabbri (special mention)
2021
LUMA Rencontres Book Award Arles (finalist)
Images Gibellina (winner)
Camera Work (winner)
Cantica21. Italian Contemporary Art Everywhere (winner)
2020
Giovane Fotografia Italiana (recipient)
C/O Berlin Talent Award (nominee)
2019
Foam Paul Huf Award (nominee)
SÅM – Artist Residency Program, Lessinia, IT
2017
Photo Workshop New York Scholarship (winner)
BOOKS
2026
Futuri Emergenti Italiani, Ecra – Edizioni del Credito Cooperativo
2025
222 artisti emergenti su cui investire 2026, Exibart
2023
Slanted – Books, Slanted Publishers
Cantica21. Italian Contemporary Art Everywhere, Silvana Editoriale
2021
Older Than Love, Self-published
I Made Them Run Away, SKINNERBOOX
Metafotografia III, SKINNERBOOX
2020
SHIFT, studiofaganel
SELECTED PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS
«Ogni carezza, un colpo: Martina Zanin e l’addestramento invisibile delle relazioni» di Veronica Daltri, Il Manifesto
«Martina Zanin: Every Caress, A Blow. Between Terror and Care» by Dobroslawa Nowak, The Italian Art Guide
«Tra controllo e fragilità: le storie invisibili di Martina Zanin in mostra a Roma» di Caterina Angelucci, Artribune
«Martina Zanin. Every Caress, A Blow | Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Roma» di Sara Benaglia, ATP Diary
«Ispirarsi al mondo animale per analizzare le complessità dei rapporti con la famiglia», Inside Art
«Una riflessione coraggiosa sull’aggressività» review by Laura Leonelli, Il Sole 24 Ore
«Nel mio padre-falco l’ambivalenza affettiva» review by Beba Marsano, Il Corriere della Sera
«Die Vater-Tochter-Wunde ist tief» exhibition review on Dolomiten Tagblatt der Südtiroler
Older Than Love with text by Gaia Amorello, L’Essenziale Studio vol.05
You Can’t Tame Me, Mother Tongue Magazine #4
VICINO – Portfolio with text by Emanuela Mirabelli, Marie Claire Italia
I Made Them Run Away reviewed by Ilaria Sponda, C4 Journal
I Made Them Run Away reviewed by Matteo Cremonesi, PHROOM
I Made Them Run Away reviewed by Odette England, photo-eye
I libri di fotografia dell’anno, Internazionale
PhMuseum’s Best Photobooks of 2021
Q&A Chiara Bardelli-Nonino and Martina Zanin, Vogue Italia
Ricordi che non scappano via, Internazionale
Metafotografia – Linguaggi di confine, Internazionale
New Photography – Martina Zanin, ATP Diary
I Made Them Run Away, Unseen Magazine #7
I Made Them Run Away reviewed by Olga Gambari, La Repubblica
SELECTED TALKS AND LECTURES
2025
– LECTURE – The present state of the arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, CN
2024
– TALK – Incontri con l’artista, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Rome, IT
– LECTURE – The present state of the arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, CN
2023
– TALK – Cantica21. Martina Zanin and Jacopo Valentini, Spazio F, Modena, IT
2022
– TEACHER AND TUTOR at Grisart – Escuela Internacional de Fotografía, Barcelona, ES
– TALK – Ritratto di Famiglia. Federica Chiocchetti in conversation with Martina Zanin and Sara Perovic, BASE Milano, IT
– BOOK PRESENTATION – I Made Them Run Away in conversation with Chiara Capodici and Raffaella Perna, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, IT
– LECTURE on Family Archives – Master in Photographic Archives, University of Trieste, IT
– TALK – Retreat of Independent Photographic Publishing, The House of Photography, Pisa, IT
– TALK – Metafotografia with Martina Zanin, Elio Grazioli, Riccardo Panattoni, University of Verona, IT
– LECTURE – The present state of the arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, CN
2021
– BOOK PRESENTATION – I Made Them Run Away in conversation with Sara Occhipinti, studiofaganel, Gorizia, IT
– MASTERCLASS – RUFA, Rome, IT
– LECTURE – Spazio Labo’, Bologna, IT
– TALK – Martina Zanin presents I Made Them Run Away in conversation with Daria Tuminas at 10x10photobooks #INSTAsalons
– LECTURE – FMAV – Scuola di Alta Formazione, Modena, IT
– TALK – I Made Them Run Away at PhMuseum Days, Bologna, IT
– TALK – Speciale Giovane Fotografia Italiana #08, Cortona On the Move, IT
– TALK – Da Reggio Emilia a Cortona. Sinergie per la Giovane Fotografia Italiana – Nuove prospettive di immaginazione, Fotografia Europea, IT
COLLECTIONS
- BCC Udine, Italy
- Haas Library, Yale University, New Haven
- Fondazione Orestiadi, Gibellina
- MEP – La Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris
- MoMA Library, New York
- BACO – Base Arte Contemporanea, Bergamo
- Biblioteca Panizzi, Municipality of Reggio Emilia
- Fondazione Modena Arti Visive, Galleria Civica di Modena
- Palazzo Rasponi II, Municipality of Ravenna
EDUCATION
2020/21 Creative Writing, Scuola Omero, Rome, IT
2018/19 Plastic Arts, Scuola Nicola Zabaglia, Rome, IT
2017/18 MA in Contemporary Photography, IED Madrid, ES
2013/16 BA Honors in Photography, ISFCI, Rome, IT