LOVELY-RATZ

Bio
Linda Pietrobelli (2001) and Ambra Zamengo (2002) are currently pursuing their Bachelor's degree in Multimedia Arts at IUAV University of Venice. In 2023, they formed the collective “LOVELY-RATZ”, born from the desire to work together, engaging with the dimension of “the other” and considering it as necessary for the development of thought.

Statement
Bringing together performance and photography in the analysis of human dynamics, with a particular focus on interpersonal relationships and roles in society, our artistic research focuses on individual communication modes, privileging women and queer perspectives. Often, other people become the focal point of the creative process and the work itself.
We constantly work to create spaces for dialogue and reflection, stimulating an empathetic connection. In the harmonious union of aesthetics and conceptual research, our artistic practice shapes visual and theoretical connections through performative practices and bodily gestures. Through performance, we explore how the body interacts with the surrounding space, reinterpreting and shaping the environment through the body, and through its perception.
Body and garment merge in a close connection: clothes become a bearer of identity, both individual and cultural, interacting in a profound relationship that combines the concepts of fashion and performance. This approach allows us to explore and communicate the complex dynamics of human relationships, places, individuals, and communities.
In the pursuit of a pre-practical human and emotional dialogue, we are interested in better understanding the human being in all its facets, through a psychological and anthropological approach to understanding other cultures.
Hence, our interest in connecting territory, nature, and the human subject through expressive means such as photography, performance, and other artistic channels.

Ti prometto un miracolo

Ti prometto un miracolo (I promise you a miracle) is a photographic journey that begins in the transitional, impersonal spaces of modern life — Gare du Nord and Zaventem Airport in Brussels — where a simple phrase appears amid the crowds: “I promise you a miracle.” This message, fragile and hopeful, becomes the starting point for a visual exploration of Europe’s contradictions, where the dream of unity often dissolves into isolation and forgotten places.
The project moves beyond Brussels to Charleroi, offering a deeper look into spaces often left out of official narratives. While Brussels, as the capital of Europe, symbolizes modernity and institutional power, just beyond its surface lies another city: one marked by decay, silence, and the emotional traces of lives in transit.
These overlooked places — industrial zones, empty neighborhoods, and marginal spaces — reflect the gap between the promises of a unified Europe and the realities of those left on the margins. Inspired by Svetlana Boym’s concept of “reflective nostalgia,” the project uses memory not to return to the past, but to understand the present through the beauty of what remains.
The Kranz typeface, designed by Studio Iknoki and inspired by the Vienna Secession, visually supports this narrative, acting as a symbolic bridge between past and present. It enhances the emotional atmosphere of the project, echoing the quiet weight of nostalgia and the longing embedded in modern urban spaces.