From the Wall to the Future: Yuri Catania’s Street Art and Claude Nicollier Supporting USI Talents
When Yuri Catania created the Lvgaxy Astro Flowers installation on the façade of the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano in September 2023, he envisioned a dialogue between the Earth and space, bridging the ephemeral nature of flowers with the infinite realm explored by science. However, the artist could hardly have imagined that this ephemeral artwork would transform into such tangible support for the future of brilliant young minds.
Today, Yuri Catania shares a significant milestone: the transformation of urban art into educational opportunity at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI).
The Meeting of Art and Science: Yuri Catania and Claude Nicollier
The protagonist of Catania’s mural, the Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier, is not only an icon of space exploration but a figure of extraordinary humanity. During the "Bits of Art" event, the artist had the honor of standing beside Nicollier at USI for a truly special occasion.
Together, they signed a limited series of Fine Art prints derived from the Lvgaxy Astro Flowers mural. It was a powerful moment: the artist and the subject of the work, united not just by a signature on paper, but by a shared intent. Seeing Nicollier sign his artistic representation, surrounded by the flowers Catania photographed in the gardens of Lugano, closed a perfect circle between creativity and scientific discovery.
An Auction for the Future: 3 Scholarships Donated
Art must have an impact; it must stir the conscience, but it can also do good in a concrete way. The signed prints were auctioned, and the results exceeded expectations.
Thanks to the generosity of the donors and the project promoted by the Faculty of Informatics at USI, the proceeds fully funded 3 scholarships for deserving students of the Bachelor in Informatics.
Knowing that this work, which began as a paste-up on the city walls, is now contributing to training the computer scientists of tomorrow is a testament to the power of art. It is proof that culture is a unique ecosystem, where visual art can nourish science and vice versa.
The Legacy of Lvgaxy Astro Flowers
Although street art is by nature destined to fade or change with time, the message of Lvgaxy Astro Flowers remains indelible. Seeds were planted through this project. Three of these seeds will now sprout in the classrooms of USI, carrying forward that drive towards innovation and discovery that Claude Nicollier embodies so perfectly.
Yuri Catania extends his heartfelt thanks to USI, Rector Luisa Lambertini, and of course, Claude Nicollier for believing in the power of this collaboration.
"Art does not just serve to decorate the world, but to build a better one."
🔗 Press Review & Official Sources
To learn more about the project details, the scholarship competition, and the institutional collaboration, please visit the official resources below:
USI Official Announcement: 20th Anniversary of USI Informatics: An Auction to Support Future Talents
Scholarship Details: Competition Call for 3 Informatics Alumni Scholarships
Featured In the Press:
RSI (Radiotelevisione svizzera): USI Celebrates its 29th Dies Academicus and Art Collaboration
Lugano Living Lab: The Genesis of LVGA/XY Astro Flowers & Technology
Ticino Welcome: Yuri Catania: Art, Nature, and Technology
Updated: Jan 21
The artist featured as a key speaker presented "Astronaut Secret Garden Odyssey" and "AstroGirl Champagne Supernova," redefining the boundaries between nature, technology, and creativity in Switzerland.
Event: Lugano AI Week 2025 (Dec 1st).
Speaker: Yuri Catania (Talk: "Creating with AI, Not Being Created by AI").
New Works: Debut of the 190cm 3D-printed sculpture Astronaut Secret Garden Odyssey and the painting AstroGirl Champagne Supernova.
Collaboration: Realized with Tipack Group SA (Agno).
The Talk: Maintaining the Artistic Soul in the Age of AI
Lugano AI Week 2025, one of Switzerland's premier events dedicated to artificial intelligence, brought together innovators to explore the impact of AI on culture.
As a featured speaker, Yuri Catania took the stage on December 1st with his talk: "Creating with AI, Not Being Created by AI: Maintaining Artistic Soul While Embracing the Most Powerful Tool Ever Existed." Catania shared insights on the delicate balance between technological innovation and human creativity, arguing that AI should remain a tool for amplification rather than a replacement for the artist's intent.
The Premiere of "Astronaut Secret Garden Odyssey"
The presentation was accompanied by the showcase of two significant works. Making its debut was Astronaut Secret Garden Odyssey (2025), a life-size (190 cm) mixed media sculpture.
This work represents a hybrid process:
Concept & Design: Created via Artificial Intelligence and digital modeling.
Production: 3D printed in collaboration with Tipack Group SA of Agno.
Performance: The work first appeared in the secret garden of CasaGalleria.ART in Rovio (Val Mara), where a live-streamed action painting performance transformed the raw technological icon into an organic presence infused with color.
AstroGirl Champagne Supernova: Integrating Physical and Digital
Displayed alongside the sculpture was the monumental painting AstroGirl Champagne Supernova. Together, these works demonstrate Catania's ability to integrate advanced technological languages with deep human narrative sensibility.
Both works mark a new chapter in 3D artistic research, acting as a poetic bridge between:
Future and Roots
Artificial and Living
Technology and Nature
Where to view these works?
Currently, these works are part of Yuri Catania's evolving collection. For viewing inquiries or to discover the "Secret Garden" where the performance took place, visit CasaGalleria.ART in Rovio, Lugano Region.
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 23
For the second appointment of the Academy, Yuri Catania transformed the New Line warehouse in Lugano into a night gallery. Through UV torches, fluorescent art, and Augmented Reality, the artist demonstrated how street art turns functional places into poetic spaces.
Event: New Line Academy 2025 (2nd Appointment).
Artist's Action: Yuri Catania converted the warehouse into a "Dark Gallery".
Location: New Line Headquarters, Lugano.
Highlights: Fluorescent paste-up art visible with UV torches, Augmented Reality (AR), and a site-specific "Flower Constellation" on concrete.
A Warehouse, Darkness, and Wonder: The Event Concept
The second appointment with the New Line Academy for 2025 was an explosion of wonder. The goal was to surprise: the company warehouse, usually a place of logistics, became the ideal location for an "art in the dark" path for one night only.
Guests, equipped with torches, were invited to explore Yuri Catania’s creative universe in a completely new atmosphere. The artworks, created with fluorescent colors and UV-reactive materials, revealed hidden details and invisible content when hit by light, creating a total immersive experience that culminated in a special dinner surrounded by art.
Beyond Decoration: Street Art as an Act of Care
During his speech, Yuri Catania explained how his work aims to redefine the role of urban spaces: shifting them from places of transit ("non-places") to places of participation.
"You may have walked through Lugano and noticed giant colorful flowers or astronauts suspended between nature and concrete. You stop, smile, take a photo," the artist shares. In that moment, urban art becomes a gesture of rupture against the greyness of standardized cities.
Catania does not just decorate walls; he transforms entire neighborhoods.
The Technique: He is unique in the region for working with paste-up (paper and glue), integrating photography and Artificial Intelligence.
Iconic Works: From the famous Cats of Rovio in Val Mara to the Astronaut on the facade of the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano.
The New Line Intervention: For this occasion, the artist created an ephemeral work on the company's concrete wall: a constellation of flowers engaging in dialogue with the industrial structure.
Technology and Nature: Augmented Reality and Ephemeral Art
A distinctive feature that emerged during the evening is the dialogue between biodegradability and technology. Yuri's works are made of paper and materials that time and rain will consume ("Ephemeral art that remains in the heart"), yet they are technologically evolved.
Through a QR code, the canvas and colors come to life in Augmented Reality. "Nowadays, an artwork is no longer static but lives in time," Yuri Catania explains. "This is the parallelism of our era: we are nature, but we are also the most technologically evolved animal."
