Marta Lagna: behind the projects, the ideas and the details
Born in Salento and based between Southern Italy and Rome, Marta Lagna has spent more than twenty years exploring writing as a visual language, transforming words into matter, space and experience.
Her journey began far from art academies. After completing classical studies and specializing in medical journalism, a visit to a calligraphy exhibition in Paris became the turning point that changed the course of her life.
From that moment, the pursuit of writing became the center of her artistic practice.
Over the years she studied with some of the world’s leading calligraphy masters, mastering historical scripts and traditional techniques.
Yet it is continuous experimentation that defines her work. For Marta, calligraphy is never an end in itself but the starting point of a broader artistic language, where the written mark moves beyond convention to become contemporary gesture, capable of inhabiting surfaces, objects and architecture.
Her work emerges from the encounter between word and matter. Canvas, antique textiles, glass, metal, ceramics, walls, installations and urban spaces become places where writing acquires physical presence.
Every project is a dialogue between form and meaning, aesthetics and content.
Throughout her career she has collaborated with some of the world’s most prestigious luxury houses, including Gucci, Fendi, Valentino, Dior, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Emilio Pucci, Bulgari and Max Mara, creating artistic installations, bespoke calligraphy, live performances and special projects for events and campaigns.
Alongside these collaborations, she has developed an independent artistic practice that includes collectible objects, commissioned artworks, large-scale interventions and interior pieces. In 2018 she opened her showroom in Salento, a space where art, design and writing meet.
Poetry, literature and philosophy are the primary sources of inspiration behind her work. Every word is carefully chosen because writing is never decoration; it is an act capable of generating meaning, memory and emotion.
Today Marta continues to work across art, education and creative consultancy, collaborating with brands, architects, designers, agencies and private clients to develop visual identities and narrative projects in which the written mark becomes language.
She loves silence, a short espresso diluted with hot water that she stubbornly continues to call an Americano, the slow rhythm of research and the endless study of the great masters. Every new work begins with the same question:
how can words recover their weight, their beauty and their permanence?
WHAT I DO
I write words that inhabit spaces.
My practice begins with calligraphy and unfolds across different disciplines, always placing the value of the written mark and the power of language at its core.
Artworks
I create original works on paper, canvas, textile and unconventional materials. Each piece emerges from the meeting of writing, gesture and matter, and can be conceived as a unique artwork or a site-specific project.
Walls & Large Scale
I create large-scale calligraphic interventions for walls, architecture and public or private spaces. Words become part of the landscape, engaging with their surroundings and transforming the way they are experienced.
Objects & Interior Projects
I design bespoke furniture pieces, textiles, lighting and decorative objects in which writing becomes an integral part of the design.
Every object is conceived as a vessel for stories, emotions and meaning.
Luxury & Live Calligraphy
I collaborate with luxury houses, brands and international companies on events, live personalization, artistic activations and special projects. Calligraphy becomes an experience, a narrative and a way of creating meaningful connections.
Brand Identity
I work with companies, creative professionals and cultural institutions to develop custom lettering, visual identities and typographic systems built around the uniqueness of handwriting.
Creative Collaborations
I collaborate with architects, designers, artists, agencies and cultural organizations on interdisciplinary projects where words become a material for design.
