Vero Reato lives and works in Metz, France. She studied product design at the Beaux-Arts de Nancy, followed by a degree in computer graphics at the CNBDI in Angoulême. She has worked in several media, including: video, computer graphics, illustration, murals, and fresco restoration. In 2013, her desire to reconnect with object design and create outdoor artwork led her to a material that has become revolutionary in the construction field: Ultra High Performance Fiber Concrete (UHPC). UHPC is a flexible material that is suited to indoor and outdoor spaces – an unusually perfect material for Reato to experiment with. Inspired by the organic, mineral, and plant realms, Reato explores and interprets forms from nature as contemporary living design, seamlessly blending mineral and organic elements.

The marvel of concrete is its ability to trick the eye. With oxides, concrete can take on metallic aspects, looking like cast iron, rusty steel, or black metal. It can also give the illusion of wood, stumps, and bark. On the other hand, when concrete retains its mineral identity, it takes on the aspect of coral, shells, and concretions.

Vero plays with concrete’s imitative capabilities by incorporating elements in her works that further the illusion. In some works, Reato incorporates wood and bamboo, venturing into the plant world. In other works, glass beads evoke dewdrops, representing the marine environment and reflecting light. In yet other works, stainless steel rings provide an intergalactic experience.  

Reato’s concrete is a mixture of cement, extra fine sand, water, and fiberglass, which she kneads into a smooth paste that she then molds. Depending on the results she wants to obtain, Reato either leaves the concrete white or colors it. She then uses a brush to paint oxides onto the concrete after it has dried. Iron, manganese, and copper oxides work by eating away at the surface to reveal their underlying tones after drying. The concrete is not polished with the intended purpose of highlighting imperfections such as air bubbles and cracks. As a result, it becomes even more animated, giving it a soul, bringing it to life. For Reato, concrete creates wonder by its possibilities, challenges by its finesse, and surprises by its apparent lightness.