LUCAS ZALLMANN

Lucas Zallmann’s Snail works explore the relationship between nature, systems of knowledge, and environmental consciousness through the recurring image of snails moving across dense, handwritten surfaces. Their painted shells, resembling decorative or symbolic patterns, transform the small creatures into carriers of meaning that interrupt the overwhelming visual fields of text, symbols, and coded information characteristic of Zallmann’s practice. Referencing Vienna’s forgotten history of snail consumption as a sustainable alternative to mammal-based protein, the series subtly questions conventional food systems and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Combining humor, ecological reflection, and obsessive visual detail, the works blur the boundaries between language and image, order and instability, encouraging viewers to contemplate how meaning is constructed, decoded, and projected onto even the smallest forms of life.

From the series  H O M E   S W E E T   H O M E,  V I E N N A