Veronica Mainetti is an Italian entrepreneur, environmental activist, redeveloper, visual artist, and Founder/CEO of RYSIT. Her work of contemporary art portraiture are timely expressions of the dualistic nature in modern humanity. Living and breathing to connect at once the dream state and the spiritual consciousness. As a woman immigrated from her native Italy to the male dominated world of real estate development and construction, Veronica has sought for the sustainable preservation of the planet in a way encompassing our humanities — our follies as well as our success — finding through art a subconscious bridge between the human body and Mother Earth, our physical and spiritual home. Veronica has worked in various stages of her life and career in New York City to illustrate environmental conservatorship in development while building a portfolio of her life’s work, conceptual artistic portraiture as a poetic visial diary of experience and the human condition.
EARTH GUARDIAN
“At the heart of all my work is passion, for historic restoration, preservation and sustainability.”
Having forged new paths in the innovation of ecologically responsible construction, I feel preserving and restoring what has already been built is a sustainable, responsible use of resources, which is such an important and critical issue in all of our lives. I believe in breathing new life to old structures, and in the re-use of existing materials. We already have what we need for a constantly advancing society when we rely upon locally-sourced materials, supporting our communities through restoration and reconstruction, and sharing our works — and our resources — with other communities. There are so many things we have learned and are still learning about sustainability and the crucial role energy efficiency plays in a future meeting absolutely the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. Buildings are much more than just cold structures; I believe every one of them has its own soul. All we need do is listen, and it will be revealed.
VISUAL ARTIST
“I love to make the present eternal — moments, ideas and possibly dreams.”
Through conceptual photography I am able to process and organize the details of my own dreams — colors and light — in an emotional microcosm. It has changed the way I see the world and in effect the way the world sees me, from the inside out. Individual spiritual light is something we all have, and must seek for ourselves. The world is constantly new, reborn in the moments we find love, see love or experience emotion. My everyday experiences are chapters in wonder. Observation is inspiration, and vice versa. I am perpetually in search of light; falling in love with it, trying to capture it. Being able to immortalize this through the art of photography is my reward.
REDEVELOPER
“Buildings are much more than just cold structures; I believe that every one of them has its own soul, just listen and it will be revealed.”
Over the years, I had the privilege of participating in the restoration of some of the nation’s most iconic buildings. I feel that preserving and restoring what has already been built is a sustainable, responsible use of resources. Restoration is a value that has the ability to better, not just the buildings, but our neighborhood, our company, the economy as a whole and, ultimately, our environment.
We take immense enjoyment out of being able to breathe new life into these buildings that reinforce what we love about this country. It is so incredibly rewarding to be able to save their embodied energy, which together with their cultural significance will only increase with the passage of time. I believe that the soul in these great buildings is simply unfathomable. It is this notion, together with the acknowledgement that we will always succeed by selecting such landmark properties, that fueled my passion to continue on this journey.