Class IV: Curating practices outside art institutions

Lecturer: Alessandra Pioselli

Dates:13-17.05.2024

Time: 14:00- 17:00

The class intends to explore the processes and potentials of engaging people through artistic practice, outside the frame of art institutions, as a way to contribute to the growth of public responsibility for places of living, society and heritage. Why are these potentialities strengths? What does activating people as citizens imply? What does it mean to take a mediating role as curator or artist? The discussion will start from the perspective that emerges from some projects developed in Italy in depopulated rural or mountains territories, which have involved me in a curatorial and research work. These projects overturn the conception of marginalized area, through way of re-inhabiting and production of new cultural-artistic heritage, as common good, based on local resources and memories. The issues coming out from these projects are the starting point to put into question the concept of “participation” and of project’s outcome, the formation of a political space, the interdependence context-project, the temporality as key, performative and ritual aspects, the notion of locality, as well as some action tools.

The class will be held in English

To be part of the class please register in the link below no later than May 1st:

https://forms.gle/kmuRVBL8ie1Zsihf9

Alessandra Pioselli

Alessandra Pioselli is art critic and curator. From 2010 to 2021 she was director of the Accademia di belle arti G. Carrara of Bergamo. She is adjunct professor of History of Contemporary Art, of Art Criticism at the same academy. She also teaches Public Art at the Master in Economics and Management of Art and Culture of 24Ore Business School (Milan). Her research focuses on the social, urban and territorial dimension of art practice. She is the author of the book L’arte nello spazio urbano. L’esperienza italiana dal 1968 a oggi (The Art in Urban Space. The Italian Experience since 1968 to now, Johan&Levi, 2015). In 2021 she edited the book of the project La ragione nelle mani of Stefano Boccalini (Archive Books, Berlin), among the winners of the VIII ed. of the Italian Council program, supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture.