Lorenzo Nassimbeni

Lorenzo Nassimbeni is a South African architect, conceptual artist and educator based in South Africa. His portfolio of work occupies the interstices of architecture and visual art. In this space, he employs analytical and intuitive thought processes to explore ideas in drawn, spoken, and built form. The foundation of his conceptual discourse is the discipline of drawing-the primary language of design thinking. Drawing is used to analyse and understand urban and natural landscapes with the view to creating interventions which are socially impactful.

Significant public artworks include a staircase artwork at Alice Lane, Johannesburg (2016), a mural at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, Johannesburg (in collaboration with 26’10 South Architects) (2016), a surface artwork at Freedom Square, Bonteheuwel, (in collaboration with TERRA+ Landscape Architects) (2023) and a surface artwork at Ellipse Waterfall, Johannesburg (in collaboration with dhk Architects and GREENinc Landscape Architecture+Urbanism) (2023). Nassimbeni has recently been selected to do the Johannesburg Public Library Public Art commission, a commission secured via the victory of an open competition.

Noteworthy group exhibitions featuring his work include : State Of The Arts, 54th International Venice Biennale, Italian Pavilion (2011) ; Materials revisited, 10th Triennial for Form and Content, Museum for Applied Arts, Frankfurt (2011) ; L’architettura del mondo, Trienalle di Milano (2012) ; 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, Fittja pavilion, Botkyra Konsthall (2014), and the FNB Johannesburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa (2014 and 2016). Nassimbeni was awarded the Social Impact Art Prize, a competition curated by the Rupert Museum, for an architectural installation. 

Nassimbeni has given numerous public talks, and has taught extensively in the Department of Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS, Johannesburg) and the University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa. He has conducted studio workshops for the Master of Urban Design program at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at the Washington University of St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA. Nassimbeni has given numerous public talks, and has taught extensively in the Department of Architecture at both WITS and UJ, Johannesburg. He currently runs the Third Year Design programme at SEA (School of Explorative Architecture), Cape Town.