Bruno Billio, Artist
Bruno installing Stacked Suitcases at Toronto’s Hazelton Hotel, 2016
Bruno Billio is an Italian-Canadian artist based in Turin, Italy, known for his assemblage sculptures and interdisciplinary practice. His works, built around the displacement and staging of found objects, are held in public spaces and private collections internationally.
Born into an Italian-Canadian family, Billio's cultural heritage has shaped his artistic vision from the start. His father, a barber from Venice, instilled in him an early appreciation for craftsmanship and design. Bruno attained his Italian citizenship in 2026.
Billio's practice is rooted in the spatial and contextual re-appropriation of everyday objects, inviting viewers to see the familiar in unexpected ways. This positions him as both interventionist and inventor, continually pushing the boundaries of contemporary art.
Gold Book Towers (2019) in the lobby of the Four Seasons Downtown in New York City.
The Gold Book Towers have a combined weight of 1.5 tons
Notable Works
Gold Books
Bruno’s Gold Books installations are sculptural works exploring themes of knowledge, accumulation and transformation. Composed of gilded books stacked into tower-like forms, they speak to the weight of history and the stories we carry over time.
The best-known example sits in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, curated by the renowned design firm Yabu Pushelberg. At 1.5 tons, the gilded stack rises into a modern Babel, inviting viewers to contemplate what lies hidden in the spaces between the books.
Bruno has created multiple variations of the installation, each adapting in configuration and height to its surroundings while maintaining the same tension between grandeur and fragility.
Bruno’s gold books can be customized in many arrangements and sizes.
Stacked Suitcases (2016), Hazelton Hotel, Toronto, Canada
Stacked Suitcases
In 2016, Billio completed his first commission for interior design firm Yabu Pushelberg. Stacked Suitcases is a permanent installation installed in the striking green marble clad entrance of the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto. Two gleaming polished nickel suitcase towers welcome guests as they enter the hotel, and reflect themes of travel, style and luxury. These sculptures can be customized in gold, nickel and chrome finishes, and can be made in different sizes and configurations. The finish is suitable for indoor or outdoor installation.
Detail of Stacked Suitcases (2016), Hazelton Hotel, Toronto, Canada
Yellow and Black
The Yellow and Black series explores color dynamics through striking tower sculptures and various multimedia installations. Their bold contrasting colours channel and transmit energy, joy and optimism.
10-Panel Yellow and Black, La Giardina Guest House, Chieri, Italy
Yellow and Black Tower, Italian Cultural Institute, Toronto, Canada
4-Panel Yellow and Black Restaurant La Banane, Toronto, Canada
Palm Tree (2018), Windsor Arms Hotel, Toronto, Canada
Palm Tree
Billio’s Palm Tree sculpture, inspired by The Grand Hotel of Paris, merges luxury with craftsmanship. Transforming metal into fluid palm leaves, it balances rigidity with organic elegance. Installed at Toronto’s historic Windsor Arms Hotel, it enhances the site’s 1927-era grandeur, blending heritage charm with contemporary opulence. The PVD finish is suitable for indoor or outdoor installation.
Book Towers (2013), Junction Art Fair, Toronto Ontario.
Book Towers
Billio’s Book Tower sculptures celebrate humanity’s vast history and accumulated knowledge, preserved across cultures and languages. These towering stacks of books, appearing precariously balanced, symbolize the fragile yet enduring nature of recorded wisdom. Their verticality reflects the pursuit of knowledge—ever-growing, reaching upward, yet grounded in history. With the ability to be stacked to almost any height, they invite contemplation on the limitless expansion of human learning and the delicate balance of preservation and progress.
Book Towers and Tacchi (2013), Private Residence, Toronto Ontario.
TRON Deco (2020) Fashion Magazine Relaunch, Design Exchange,
Toronto, Canada
TRON Campbell House (2019), Nuit Blanche Toronto, Campbell House Museum, Toronto, Canada
TRON
Inspired by the aesthetics of the 1982 film Tron, Billio’s TRON installations transform spaces using neon lights and geometric patterns. Notably, his suite at the Gladstone Hotel was converted into a futuristic environment reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
TRON 209 (2019), “Come Up To My Room” (group show), Glasdstone Hotel, Toronto, Canada
TRON Power (2019), Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Bound Objects
Billio’s Bound Objects series—which includes porcelain figurines, wallets, eyeglass cases, table legs, and fabric—are items carefully gathered and bound with intention. Rather than an act of restraint, the binding releases energy, evoking the warmth of an embrace. Each assemblage is hand-bound with over a kilometer of string made from ocean-reclaimed plastic, transforming discarded materials into vessels of memory and meaning. The intricate layers of string create a tactile record of connection, preservation, and renewal. Through this process, everyday objects are elevated and their histories intertwined, inviting viewers to reflect on the ties that bind us—both physically and emotionally.
Tape on Tape on Paper
Tape on Tape on Paper is a series exploring memory and time. Using various widths and colors of durable tape, the artist applies freehand layers, surrendering to the medium’s flow. Up to six layers on paper create a leathery, pliable canvas, resulting in works that can be displayed framed, or unframed to emphasize the textures and materiality. This series led to a collaboration with Rollout wallpaper. Titled “Mesmerizing Illusions,” these wallpapers papers translate the graphic taped patterns onto durable vinyl wall covering. Over 30 wallpaper designs are available.
Porcelanna di Gomma
