Nicola Lorini (b. 1990) is an artist and educator based in Milan and the founder of the spatial practice The Present Tense.
He holds a BA in Product Design from Politecnico di Milano and an MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. He previously studied design at HKU University of the Arts Utrecht and sculpture at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan.
His research-based, materially engaged practice spans sculpture, installation, furniture and architectural intervention, frequently accompanied by sound and writing. He teaches Ecology of Perception at IED Milan and is a guest lecturer in the POST programme at the Art Academy of Latvia in Riga.
His work investigates the conceptual and narrative potential of spatial and material environments. Central to his practice are the critical inquiries and urgencies underpinning artistic practices concerned with inhabitable space, domestic environments, and objects within post-historical conditions.
He is a board member of GDA Community Garden in Milan and one-third of the experimental/ambient music project Porcini.
Contact
nicolalorini@gmail.com
+39 3914870202
instagram: @nicolalorini
Education
2014-16
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
London, UK
MA Fine Art
2009-13
Politecnico di Milano
Milan, IT
BA Product Design
2013
Utrecht School of the Arts HKU
Utrecht, NL
BA Design and Visual Arts (Erasmus program)
2010-11
Brera Academy
Milan, IT
BA Sculpture
Solo and Two-Person Shows
2026 Tunes and Habits, Zuzeum Greenhouse, Riga (LV)
2025 Bits, and Peaks, and Splinters and Flowers (with Kristers Krums), Forest Plinth, Latgale (LV)
2019 For All the Time, For All the Sad Stones, curated by Ulya Soley, Pera Museum, Istanbul (TR)
2019 Cold Stories, Rehearsal Project, Milan (IT)
2018 Bonis Bona, Malis Mala, curated by Azzurra Pitruzzella, t-Space, Milan, (IT)
2017 Take Me Out, with Bora Akinciturk, curated by Federico Sargentone and Ulya Soley, 97 Graham Road, London, (UK)
2016 TAIYR, with Fatima Bianchi, curated by Davide Giannella, Ex Chiesa di San Pietro in Atrio, Como, (IT)
Group Exhibitions
2026 Aghi d’Argento, t.space, Slam Jam Center, Milan (IT)
2024 Used Springs, PAiR, Pavilosta (LV)
2023 Sottopalco, Campo Teatrale, Milan (IT)
2023 Bad Ideas Collective, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn (EE)
2021 Party del Corpo, Sonnenstube, Lugano, (CH)
2021 Super Hall., Magma Maria, Frankfurt am Main, (DE)
2021 Bad Ideas Collective, Lethaby Gallery, London, (UK)
2020 Measure of Human, Pera Museum film program, Istanbul, (TR)
2019 Estate, Autunno, curated by Irene Angenica, Giacomo Pigliapoco, Giovvanni Paolin, State Of, Milan, (IT)
2019 Residenza la Fornace, curated by Edoardo Manzoni and Giada Olivotto, (IT)
2019 Trafic Festival, curated by Matteo Binci and Bianca Schroder, San Lorenzo in Campo, (IT)
2019 Miraggio, curated by Lorenzo Lunghi, Fontanili Fontanoni, Farinate (IT)
2019 Insonne, curated by Sonnenstube, Sonnenstube, Lugano (CH)
2019 Placido, curated by Nicola Lorini and Paolo Brambilla, Dimora Artica, Milan (IT)
2019 Stand By Me, curated by Laura Lecce, Pelagica, Milan (IT)
2018 InRuins, curated by Azzurra Pitruzzella and Maria Luigia Gioffrè, Scolacium Archeological Park, Catanzaro, (IT)
2018 EveryMe, curated by Mustafa Boga, Adana Archaeology Museum, Adana, (TR)
2018 Metadata, curated by Bilderfahrzeuge project (the Warburg Institute), Lethaby Gallery, London, (UK)
2017 And the Horizon was Dying Over the Tourist, curated by Federico Sargentone, Republic Gallery, London, (UK)
2017 One Summer Night, The Crypt Gallery, London, (UK)
2017 Annihilation Event Prototype (Tate Exchange), curated by Louisa Minkin, Tate Modern Switch House, London, (UK)
2016 VR Exhibition, curated by Cristina Vasilescu, Institute of Contemporary Arts London (ICA), London, (UK)
2016 Industrialism, Musdienu Makslas Galerija, Livani, (LV)
2016 Distributed Monuments, curated by Naomi Ellis, Geddes Gallery, London, (UK)
2016 Seminal Bricolage (first attempt), curated by L.A.L.D., Foothold, Polignano a Mare, (IT)
2016 Self/Control, Punctum Gallery, Chelsea College of Arts and Design, London, (UK)
2016 Do, Undo, Redo, Lethaby Gallery, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London, (UK)
2015 Staging the Archive, curated by Antonio Castro, CSM Museum & Study Collection, London, (UK)
2015 Cochlea, curated by Susan Trangmar, Futuro House, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, (UK)
2015 Remember Nature, curated Alex Shady with Gustav Metzger, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London (UK)
2015 Complex Topography, Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu, (JP)
2015 Conflux, curated by MA curating Goldsmiths, The Electrician’s shop, London, (UK)
2015 You Are the Reason Our Kids are Ugly, The Laundry E8, London, (UK)
2015 Running up that Building and Diving into the Pool, curated by Oliver Hickmet, Scena Production, London, (UK)
Residencies, Awards, Workshops
2025 Forest Plinth (with Kristers Krums), Latgale (LV)
2024 PAiR (residency), Pavilosta (LV)
2023 Dolomiti Contemporanee (residency), Borca di Cadore (IT)
2020 Premio Fabbri (award) finalist, Pieve di Soligo (IT)
2019 Residenza la Fornace (residency), (IT)
2019 EveryMe (residency), Adana (TR)
2019 BoCs (residency), curated by Giacinto di Pietrantonio, Cosenza (IT)
2018 Q-Rated (workshop’s participant), with Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Hito Steyerl.
Castello di Rivoli, Torino, (IT)
2018 Anatolian weights and measures collection (residency), Pera Museum, Istanbul, (TR)
2018 InRuins (residency), Scolacium Archeological Park, Catanzaro, (IT)
2016 Clifford Sculpture Award (award) nominated, (UK)
2106 Red Mansion Art Prize (award) nominated, (CN), (UK)
2106 Helen Scott Lidget Studio (Award) (shortlisted), (UK)
2015 Hackmey Family Scholarship (recipient), (UK)
2015 Complex Topography (residency), TUA, Tokyo and Takamatsu, (JP)
2015 CoCoCo (residency), Como/Nabplus, (IT) (PS)
2014 Hackmey Family Scholarship (recipient), (UK)
Talks
2026 Ecology of Perception, IED, Milan (IT)
2024 PAiR (talk), Pavilosta, (LV)
2023 In-ruins (talk), Casa Degli Artisti, Milano (IT)
2022 Art Academy of Latvia (visiting lecturer), Riga (LV)
NABA (talk), Milan (IT)
2021 Estonian Academy of Arts (talk), Tallinn (EE)
Art Academy of Latvia (talk), Riga (LV)
2019 Load Limits (talk), Pera Museum, Istanbul (TR)
2018 InRuins (talk), Scolacium Archeological Park, Catanzaro (IT)
Technologies of Recording (talk), curated by the Warburg Institute, Lethaby Gallery, London (UK)
2017 Casting/Ghosting (talk), Lethaby Gallery, London (UK)
Casting/Ghosting (talk), Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London (UK)
3D Digital Capturing (talk), UCA Rochester, Farnham (UK)
Annihilation Event Prototype (talk), Tate Exchange, Tate Modern, London (UK)
2016 TAIYR (talk), with Fatima Bianchi and Davide Giannella, Como (IT)
3D Digital Capturing (talk), London College of Fashion, London (UK)
Common Ground (talk), An-Najah University, Nablus (PS)
Press and Publications
2026 Disarming the Maquette, Echo Gone Wrong
2026 t-space Archivio
2026 Hill of Desires. Practices of Rural Imagination
2024 A Proposito Dell’Inizio, Luca Maffeo, Mimesis
2023 Archivalia, In-ruins
2023 Su Sei Ruote, Sonnenstube
2021 Super Hall., OFluxo
2021 Sky Arte, Art BOX
2021 Super Hall., Tzvetnik
2021 Super Hall., Scandale Project
2019 Cold Stories, Tzvetnik
2019 Miraggio, Ofluxo
2019 For all the Time, For All the Sad Stones, FormeUniche
2019 Residenza la Fornace, Ofluxo
2019 For All the Time For, All the Sad Stones, [ANTI]MATERIA
2018 Coeval Magazine, https://www.coeval-magazine.com/coeval/nicola-lorini
2018 Loom Est, issue 02 http://www.loom-est.com/
2018 Bonis Bona, Malis Mala (self-published book), edition of 20, (UK), (IT)
2018 Metadata, published by the Bilderfahrzeuge project, The Warburg Institute, (UK)
2108 Bonis Bona, Malis Mala, Artmirror
2018 Bonis Bona, Malis Mala, Artribune
2017 Stimuli, Hibiki on the Rock
2017 Take Me Out, AQNB,
2016 1 Granary, Gram Institute
2016 "Ricalcolo" Tayir, Atp Diary
2016 Complex Topography (catalogue), published by TUA and CSM, (JP), (UK)
2016 Do Undo Redo (catalogue), published by Central Saint Martins, (UK)
© Nicola Lorini 2026