Photography

Emanuel Toffolo was born in Murano in 1982, already surrounded by the art of glass. His father, Cesare, is a world-renowned artist and belongs to a family lineage of famous glassmakers. After graduating from the artistic high school in Venice in 2000, he became passionate about lampworking. Due to his interest in natural subjects, particularly invertebrates, he focuses his work on reproducing various types of insects in glass.

In 2013, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass—a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the development and appreciation of glass art—chose Emanuel as the artist of the month. His glass works were also exhibited at the Glass Weekend show at the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville, New Jersey, in 2013 and 2015. In 2015, he was invited to the 28th Niijima International Glass Art Festival in Japan as an invited teacher for the lampworking workshop. His pieces are exhibited at the "Nijima Glass Museum" and the "Kobe Lampwork Museum," also in Japan.

In 2019, he showcased his works in Miami at the "Wiener Museum of Decorative Art." His glass works are also displayed in South Korea, England, Switzerland, and other countries. Combining his three passions—glass, music, and photography—in 2016, Emanuel presented the documentary "Murano. The Unsustainable Lightness of Glass." The documentary was written with his brother Elia and Caterina Toso, directed by Emanuele, and produced by the non-profit association InMurano, of which they are also founding members. In 2016, the documentary was presented in Italy and the United States at the G.A.S. Conference in Corning (New York). In 2017, it was also presented in Portugal (Lisbon) at the Pharmacy Museum. In 2016, the film won the "Best Art Feature" award at the Eugene International Film Festival.

In 2018, his new documentary "ROSIN: The Strong Side of Glass" was presented at the G.A.S. Conference in Murano, and in 2020 he created "The Engravers." In 2022, he produced the documentary "The Flame - The Art and the History of Lampworking," produced by the non-profit association InMurano in collaboration with the Corning Museum of Glass. The film participated in numerous festivals, winning 40 international awards, making it the most awarded Italian documentary of 2022.