Marcato’s upcycling concerns two kind of objects: chairs and an ancient symbol of Venice tradition, the briccole—or rather, paline di casàda (family house poles)—which are nothing more than the wooden poles colored with the colors of each noble family and placed just before the water entrances of the Venetian palaces on the Canal Grande, to indicate the owner’s family. Two objects, two types of upcycling, two products that inventiveness and “desire for color” have transformed into pieces of art, furniture, and common use, thus giving wood a new life.

The creative reuse of the briccole is carried out through the transformation of their surface. The wood, corroded by years of salt and weather, welcomes the color in its cracks and veins almost naturally. The transformation of the briccola into an artwork is guided by a combination of impulse and reason: sometimes, the inspiration is the Pop Art of Liechtenstein, through the use of stencils, other times it is more reflective, such as for the Briccola d’Oro, which refers to the Byzantine history of Venice

A son of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, Marcato begins as a conservator-restorer then, all of a sudden, as it often happens when life takes us along unexpected paths, he saw the light, what he calls the «crazy idea, the insane intuition to transform the briccole adrift into pieces of art. With this idea, I began to make myself known at the 2013 Biennale of recycling in Padua where my creations were selected in the RicCAA Cantiere Arte Ambientale. Just like glass is the symbol of Murano, wood is a fundamental element of Venice.»

If the briccole stand out, so do the chairs! The Milano chair in beech wood, a traditional piece of forniture of Venetian restaurants and taverns, is dressed in colors by Marcato. Each object is unique and numbered, entirely handmade with a touch of originality and liveliness, designed in at least six-hundred different looks. «Enrico sees the chair as a canvas—says his wife Caterina who accompanies him on his artistic journey—but his strength lies in color. He would color everything. Indeed, he does color everything, even the garage door has become an object that would be good for an exhibition!!»

Designer chairs are born with the same crazy intuition: in 2008, Marcato buys a considerable quantity of traditional wooden chairs from a restaurant which closed permanently for a few Euros and colors them all, first for his own home, then for a shop in Padua, and from there the word spreads more and more.
Today, they are all brand new chairs from the same model, each different from one another thanks to colors and patterns. They travel the world bringing joy.

«Somehow, I invented my world of symbols, of colors—until I arrived in America. The US goal was a new challenge and gave me new energy because I got back into the game. It started with a meeting with Arrigo Cipriani at Harry’s Bar, here in Venice. I talked to him about my idea and, I didn’t expect it, he heeded my visionary desire. He told me that America was a difficult market but to leave him my drawings anyway. So, thanks to his advice, we arrived in New York first, and then at the Cipriani’s in Miami.»

Therefore, there is not only the beloved Venice for Marcato: he furnishes and integrates the furnishings of important stores around the world with creativity and flair—in Montreal, Miami, Toronto—and his works travel to collections in France or Spain or Swiss… A touch of Venetian color around the world.