At a time when Venice continues to lose residents and struggle with questions of identity, housing and future vision, Positive Magazine decided to interview Leone Solia — artist and candidate for the Venice City Council — as one of the most intriguing young voices operating outside traditional structures. Neither entirely political nor solely artistic, Solia embodies an unconventional perspective shaped by social engagement, cultural work and a deeply personal relationship with the city. We spoke with him about Venice, art, power, and what imagining a different future for the municipality could look like.

Who is Leone?
Leone Solia (Milan, 2000) is an artist based in Venice. His practice explores the transformation of materials through collage, assemblage, and material interventions, creating an ongoing dialogue between aesthetics and historical reflection, between the visual legacy of the past and the language of contemporary consumer culture. After an initial phase rooted in collective and urban contexts, Solia developed an independent visual language centred on the relationship between accumulation, memory, and structure. Central to his work is the dialogue with sacred iconography — not as a form of quotation, but as a formal principle emerging through verticality, frontality, and an iconic tension.

Recent projects such as Exodology (Fondazione Donà dalle Rose, Venice, 2025), Icone di Scarto (Palazzo Costantino e di Napoli, Palermo, 2025), and the diptych created for the collateral pavilion of the Tissali Foundation at the 61st Venice Art Biennale (Fondazione Donà dalle Rose, Venice, 2026) mark a period of maturity and intense experimentation within his artistic journey. In this phase, reduction and essentialisation of language become central, while imagery condenses into archetypal forms and the relationship between ruin and sacredness takes on a fundamental role. His visual language is now recognisable, yet not fixed; it exists as an open process, capable of bringing form and matter into dialogue without ever resolving into a definitive structure.

You were born in Milan but chose to live in Venice. What truly pushed you to move here, and when did you realize this city would become your home?

I arrived in Venice after the first lockdown, in August 2020, to study Economics and Management of Cultural Heritage at Ca’ Foscari University. It was a last-minute decision, not something I had planned: I felt the need to escape from Milan. I had visited Venice as a child with my family, but I had never imagined it would become my home. I have never been happier about a choice. Venice, to me, is like a mother: it immediately became a kind of womb, a world, a fairy tale, a place where time flows differently. Every time I leave the lagoon, it feels like returning to the future. I’m atheist and rational, yet I felt a very strong connection with this city from the beginning. At first, I lived near the Ghetto and the Tre Archi bridge, during a period still marked by curfews. For a few months, due to plumbing problems, my flatmates and I had to fetch water from the fountain in the Ghetto square; there were no tourists, it felt like living in the 1600s, with elderly women watching children play football and cats wandering around. During that time, I was still trying to find my path as an artist: in Milan I worked as an assistant, while in Venice I started taking my first independent steps. I left everything behind, and this city welcomed me. It appears immobile, but in reality it is alive and international. I love travelling, but today Venice is home, my point of return, the place where I hope to grow old.

Venice is often described as a beautiful city but difficult to live in. What were the first concrete problems you encountered once you moved here as a resident rather than a visitor?

I never experienced this city primarily as a collection of problems, but rather as a set of differences in everyday life. However, over the years I have witnessed an exponential change. When I first arrived, finding a home was easier. Today, many friends have had to leave their houses. I myself lost the home where I was living. There is a clear increase in Airbnb properties and growing difficulties for residents. Many young people fall in love with Venice but cannot build a future here. I did all sorts of jobs to stay: waiter, bartender, transport work. I also discovered a strong passion for boating and lagoon life, but the issue remains: it is difficult to build stability. Essential businesses such as bakeries and butcher shops are disappearing, while tourist shops and fast-consumption activities increase. The risk is that Venice becomes a city inhabited only by those working in tourism, without a true residential community.

Having lived between Milan and Venice, what do you think are the strongest differences in terms of quality of life, opportunities, and relationship with everyday time?

The first difference I noticed, and what made me fall in love with Venice, is its colours. Milan is a city I love, with great history and many opportunities, but I perceive it as greyer, and I feel it has lost part of its soul. Another major difference lies in the relationship with time. Venice is not a city for everyone, but if it captures you, it’s hard to find the same sense of calm elsewhere. I have spent long periods without seeing cars, despite living in a city, and this completely changes one’s relationship with space and daily life. Even in difficult moments, simply walking through bridges and narrow streets can make you feel better. When I return to Milan from a trip, I often feel melancholic. When I arrive in Venice, stepping out of Santa Lucia station, I immediately feel joy.

After choosing to live permanently in Venice, what are today the city’s main pros and cons for you? What do you deeply love, and what makes you most angry?

I have already partly described the pros and cons. Human relationships are more authentic and direct. The main downside is that residents are often put in the background. In addition, classism is more visible here than in other contexts. That angers me, because Venice should be a city for those who truly live it.

In your artistic work, you often address identity, urban space, younger generations and social transformation. How much did these reflections influence your decision to directly enter local politics?

Ever since I worked in the crew of Felipe Cardena, an artist based in Milan, I have always been involved in social projects: recovery communities and schools. In Venice, this is my second experience with Fondazione di Venezia, through artistic workshops for high schools and middle schools. I believe that in the 21st century, art cannot be separated from politics: without politics, there is no art. Social art is active citizenship, and I deeply believe it can contribute to urban renewal and territorial regeneration. Marghera and Mestre have different needs from Venice itself, but socially engaged art can play an important role in integration and urban change. I accepted the proposal to run because I owe a lot to Venice and its inhabitants. I do not want to lose my identity: I will continue to maintain my artistic and political independence. For me, Venice comes before everything else.

You chose to run with Venezia Riformista in support of Andrea Martella. Why did you feel this political reality was closest to your vision of the city?

The last eleven years of Brugnaro’s administration have caused significant damage to this city, and I have witnessed it firsthand. An exponential change of direction is needed, and Martella’s programme gives more space to residents. The broad coalition supporting his candidacy shows a willingness to unite. I do not want to continue witnessing Venice’s decline.

Some critics argue that your candidacy is more of an artistic provocation or an image operation than a genuine political choice. How do you respond?

Some describe my candidacy as a provocation, but for me provocation is essential in bringing urgent issues to attention, such as the idea of a federal United States of Europe with Venice. It is not arrogance, but a safeguarding measure: strategic assets need to return to the city to attract new residents. Of course, I am an artist and I do not deny that; this candidacy may also be seen as a performance. However, what is real is my commitment — a genuine commitment to a city I love and that truly needs help. Even if my campaign is interpreted as ridicule, in reality it is a strong criticism of the current political drift. I do not believe I am adding further absurdity, but rather exposing problems, trying to shake passivity, and calling for a more authentic political engagement.

Is your candidacy a natural evolution of your personal and artistic path, or does it represent a rupture — a new chapter in your life as a Venetian citizen?

Throughout my artistic journey, there has never been a work of art created by me that was not political. Likewise, my political commitment is no different from my artistic work: in both cases, my dedication and commitment will never disappear. And I add: I will not stop being an artist. Even if trust is placed in my political commitment, I will continue to act in this direction — as an artist and as a citizen.

Your programme focuses heavily on youth, housing, culture and repopulating the city. In your opinion, what is Venice’s most urgent issue today, and where should concrete action begin?

The primary urgency is housing, especially for Venice Island. Mestre and Marghera have different needs. Concrete action is needed: attracting new residents and ensuring better living conditions for those who already live here. Work must be done on housing, employment and opportunities for young people. Policies supporting residency, incentives for businesses operating locally, and regulation of short-term rentals are needed. At the same time, environmental issues and city preservation must also be addressed.

Why should a young Venetian or resident vote for Andrea Martella and your list rather than candidates like Venturini? What is the main difference in the future vision you want to bring?

• I firmly believe that if Venturini wins, Venice will continue emptying out until only workers and residents connected to tourism remain. I am convinced of this. Martella’s programme and the coalition supporting him seem to me the most suitable to respond to these problems and needs. We must overcome this historical moment together and face challenges without leaving anyone behind. I believe that in the last eleven years Brugnaro’s right-wing administration has not truly addressed the city’s issues and, as various journalistic investigations have shown, has often prioritised personal interests over those of the city itself. Something must be done, otherwise Venice is destined to die. As an artist and resident of this city, I genuinely feel its suffering. That is also why I decided to step forward with determination — for Venice.

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