Veniceland is a series of etching prints exploring the tensions between Venice’s historic fabric and the pressures of mass tourism. Through visual juxtapositions, the works bring together fragments of the city’s architectural heritage with symbols of contemporary consumer culture, reflecting on the uneasy coexistence of preservation and spectacle.
Born from my own Venetian origins, the series emerged from a growing frustration with romanticised depictions of Venice as a timeless, picturesque city. While Venice’s beauty continues to inspire artists, its fragility and contradictions are too often overlooked. Beneath its celebrated image lies a city undergoing profound transformation: shaped by environmental erosion, economic displacement and the impact of global tourism.
At the time of making these works, the passage of large cruise ships through the lagoon—particularly near the Bacino di San Marco—had become emblematic of a wider imbalance between cultural heritage and commercial exploitation, accelerating the erosion of fragile foundations on which the city depends.
The title Veniceland refers to the gradual transformation of Venice from living city to staged destination, where everyday life risks being displaced by spectacle. Yet the series is not solely critical; it is also rooted in attachment, memory and a desire to reconsider how Venice might endure.
The series received the Clifford Chance Postgraduate Student Award in 2006, selected by Allen Jones. Prints from Veniceland are held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and Clifford Chance.
