PROJECT:
THERMAL PAPER /
2012 - 2017 

In his earlier works (2012-2017) FZ explored thermal paper (receipt paper) as a material for visual expression.
Fascinated by this material because developed for the industry, seen as a byproduct and a scrap material, often trashed immediately after a short lifespan, FZ focused on exploring the expressive potential of this medium, pushing the boundaries and its qualities while interacting with it in a ‘human’ way.
In FZ’s explorations the qualities that made thermal paper ‘fragile’ also made it special and somehow ‘human’, transcending its ‘volatile’ inner nature.
The traces on it will eventually fade due to UV-light, just like any other material, but the ways we interact with the paper have a more immediate and visible impact on the way the paper reacts, preserves its qualities, or ultimately decays.

Collection Overview

In Vitro (Black), U.T.S. 2015 In Vitro (Black), U.T.S. 2015 InVitro (Magaenta), U.T.S. 2015 InVitro (Magaenta), U.T.S. 2015 Magenta, G.R.H.R. 2017 Magenta & Blobs, G.R.H.R 2017 In Vitro (Yellow), U.T.S. 2015 In Vitro (Yellow), U.T.S. 2015 Confetti, U.T.S. 2015 Confetti, U.T.S. 2015 Paper Pixels, U.T.S. 2015 Paper Pixels, U.T.S. 2015 Triangles, G.R.H.R.. 2017 Triangles, G.R.H.R.. 2017 Trough the Lens, U.T.S. 2015 Trough the Lens, U.T.S. 2015 Brush (Magenta), U.T.S. 2015 Brush (Magenta), U.T.S. 2015 Brush (Yellow), G.R.H.R. 2017 Brush (Yellow), G.R.H.R. 2017 Halos, U.T.S. 2015 Halos, U.T.S. 2015 Blobs, G.R.H.R. 2017 Terrazzo, U.T.S. 2015 Terrazzo, U.T.S. 2015 Stripes (Small), U.T.S. 2015 Stripes (Small), U.T.S. 2015 Stripes (Big), G.R.H.R.2017 Stripes (Big), G.R.H.R.2017 Fluid, U.T.S. 2015
Thermal paper has been the focus of FZ work for many years.
He developed his own methods of creating artwork using exlusively 
thermal paper without using any paint, ink or pigments.
Each brushstroke, graphic, shade of color, gradient, is achieved following the artist’s own technique, using exlusively the inner properties of the material.
Inner pigments and dies are revealed by rubbing, heat, clear chemicals brush, vapourizing to obtain different textures and effects.
In his artworks FZ uses four different kindsof thermal paper, used by the industry for different purposes: white paper white coating-black inner dye / white paper white coating black dye / white paper white coating black and magenta dyes / white paper yellow coating black dye. 
The inner properties of the material are studied and mastered to be revealed end become the very core of the work.
By juxtaposing textures and isolating best shapes one next to each other, thermal paper is perceived as a completely different material, it’s very nature of ‘industrial by-product’ is elevated to semi-precious material, a contemporary veneer.
The delicate and specific ways of dealing with the material follow a methodology often used by skilled inlayers when dealing with semi-precious stones and woods.
These artworks will age and the same way precious material age through time: Despite the artificial nature of this material, the images will eventually fade and decay and change due to UV-light just like any other precious material.
  Francesco Zorzi is an Italian artist based in Amsterdam. His formal research is characterised by an abundance of materials and techniques, informed by his background in applied arts and further conceptualised within art. In an era of increasing interest in digital technologies, FZ diverse application are united by the quest for the qualities of what makes us ‘human’. His contemporary work explore aspects of perception and interpretation of reality, the inner-worlds we inhabit as subjects or a collective, and how we interact with them. FZ develops his visual and sculptural works as tools to interpret and reflect on how we navigate through reality as humans in the present times. His works are influenced directly by his fascinations, jumbling together in a flux of shapes and colours like in a kaleidoscope in perpetual movement. Color and tactility are elements always present in FZ research, as reality happens simultaneously as a duality of lightwaves and matter, fundamentally ambiguous, about interactions between things and how things interact with one another. Oftentimes introducing elements of evolution and reconfiguration in the way his works are put together, he creates a multitude of simultaneous points of view to convey the viewers a sense of active interpretation of what is in front of them, to meditate on the way they create a model of the world, which is different for everyone and in constant transformation. These interpretations can be read as reflections on human condition in the context of contemporary society, as well as his personal interest for scientific knowledge and quantum physics. Looking for new imaginary common grounds, or simply offering the viewer new playgrounds for exploration and wonder.