Inauguration of "Universo", participatory street art work by Yuri Catania

"Universo" is a participatory street art work, created by Yuri Catania, celebrating the USI community through a mosaic of more than a thousand portraits of students, professors, researchers, representatives of the institutional leadership and staff members of the academic year 2024/2025. The work unfolds as a universe of interwoven stories, creating a symbolic dialogue between individual identities and the collective sense of belonging to the university.

Black and white portraits alternate with botanical elements and white butterflies, creating a narrative that brings together the protagonists of the USI community in a unified representation of the USI Universe. The flowers recall the distinctive colours of the Faculties: green for Economics, blue for Communication, yellow for Informatics, red for Biomedicine, grey for Architecture and purple for Theology. The language of flowers and their colours highlight the uniqueness of each academic path and the personal development of every individual, metaphorically compared to a seed that blossoms in fertile soil like that found at USI. This work is a crucial part of the "Play Your Future" communication campaign, which combines visual art and augmented reality to present the academic experience in an innovative and engaging manner. Serving as a manifesto for inclusion, the value of diversity, and a sense of community, the work portrays USI as a place where ideas, cultures, and people unite to forge new connections with one another and their surroundings.

The work was created using the participatory street art method, actively involving USI's academic community, schools, and citizens.

The inauguration of the street art work took place on Saturday, 10 May 2025 at 1 pm (West Campus, outdoor space under the mensa), at the closing of the Dies academicus and officially kicking off the UniVerso Open Doors event.

The opening ceremony was attended by:

• Luisa Lambertini, Rector of USI
• Michele Foletti, Mayor of the City of Lugano
• Yuri Catania, artist

Several school students were involved in the ceremony and contributed to the work.

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Yuri Catania is a visual artist from the Swiss Italian-speaking region, renowned for his monumental street art installations that blend collage, photography, and augmented reality. Central to his artistic vision is the exploration of the interaction between humanity, technology, and nature. His installations, constructed from sustainable materials like biodegradable paper and glue, integrate seamlessly into urban environments.

In addition to major projects in Ticino, such as "Lvgaxy Astro Flowers" on the facade of the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano and "Jazz Off the Wall" in Ascona, Catania has exhibited his work in cities including Milan, Venice, Zurich, New York, Paris, and St. Petersburg.