La cura
The first Art residence of Manifattura Tabacchi
curated by Sergio Risaliti
The Art residence, which for the Florentine area represents an original proposition, forms part of the plan of manifatturanaturacultura (manifatturanatureculture) 2018-2020.
The theme of the first edition is La cura (care).
Care in the sense of dedication, concentration, love, as well as those of discipline, rigor, exercise, organization. Care of the environmental context, of the planet, of the urban place, as well as of the body and the spirit, but also of the detail and the project. Care of heritage conservation and innovation, in the sense of research on materials and technologies, on new paradigms and behaviors.
Care that arises at the time of the formulation of the idea, of the first thought that leads to the conception of the project, involving all its phases: from the collection of the elements and forces that will arise in the project to their explanation in form of concept and practice. But also taking care of all the phases that from the project lead to the formal realization of the idea, in the smallest details, from the rules that underlie the processing of the “material”, to those that guarantee its existence in the urban, social and artistic space.
The artists in residence
The six young artists arrived at Manifattura thanks to the invitation of artists, professors and exponents of the world of contemporary art who selected them to form a group that reflected the multiple artistic practices of the new generations.
The artists were able to work for six months in Manifattura, enjoy an accomodation and a scholarship. Each was given a space, in the buildings of the area, to work on a site-specific work that dialogues with the particular history of the place and, at the same time, with the profound urban, social and cultural renewal taking place.
Art Residencies 2018–2019
The residence workshops
The visiting artist
The young artists took part in weekly workshops, conferences and meetings with established artists, designers and communicators, as well as poets, writers and scholars in the field of social sciences.
“I am sure that the artists in residence will not forget the encounters and the workshops from their time here. Each in their own way was able to be a role model, to convey a story of art, life, and experience, which I believe will live on in each of our six young artists.”
Sergio Risaliti
The tutors
Paolo Parisi and Robert Pettena, both teachers at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts, followed the creative research of the young artists in the role of tutors, organising the work alongside a series of educational activities.
The curator
Sergio Risaliti, art historian and artistic director of Museo Novecento of Florence, is the curator of the three-year project of the artistic residences of the Manifattura Tabacchi.