"Sweet Excess" by William Lanzillo
“My art-making process serves as a form of questioning, both of the logic and the material of the world around us. The interactive objects and performances become moments to connect with audiences and question and discover the world together. ”
Sponsor info coming soon.
Interested in supporting? Email brian@carbondalearts.com.
Carbondale Arts presents “Sweet Excess”, a solo exhibition by William Lanzillo at the Carbondale Arts Gallery, on display March 6 - April 9, 2026. The opening reception will take place First Friday, March 6, from 5-7pm at The Launchpad, with an artist talk at 5:30pm.
Note that there is another solo exhibition running concurrently (March 6 - April 9, 2026) in the gallery space:
“Structures Inachevées” by Ludivine Gérard
A giant contraption extrudes an impossible cannoli, at once grotesque and delightful. Performance and sculpture converge in a communal, larger-than-life dessert experience. Rooted in family nostalgia and childhood trips to bakeries, the work transforms a cherished memory into a nostalgic, collective spectacle.
William Lanzillo attempts to create experiences or present objects that skew, prod and question the social and institutional worlds we interact with: throwing familiar everyday systems sideways, to veer them into potential and possibility. This often manifests through the creation of “functional objects” that explore joy, failure, futility, or absurd ways of seeing and experiencing the world.
Like a metabolic system, William’s practice consumes, processes, and generates from the surrounding environment. Whether through the co-opting of advertising formats and language, or the repurposing of found objects, an apparently serendipitous or unexpected moment is created. A brief fissure cracks open in what we expect or know to be true. How can this brief and precarious moment cascade into something else?
William Lanzillo, Basalt, Colorado
William Lanzillo (born in Chicago, IL) is a sculptor whose work spans objects, performances, and interactive experiences. He received a BA from Carleton College, where he studied psychology and studio art, and an MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2023. His practice explores participation, systems, and humor through large-scale sculpture and performative installations that invite public engagement.
William is currently the Sculpture Studio Coordinator at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. His work has been exhibited at museums, sculpture parks, and public sites across the United States, including Franconia Sculpture Park (Shafer, MN), The Reno Tahoe International Art Show (Reno, NV) and The Momentary Museum (Bentonville, AR).
Learn more about William at williamlanzillo.com or on Instagram @lanzilloart.