ABOUT
AiR Trieste is an artist-in-residence program based in Trieste. It aims to offer visual artists the opportunity to spend a period of time in the city working on context-based projects, or carrying out research that may employ and add value to local resources. AiR Trieste sees the network as a means of research and growth and artists as agents of cultural contamination. The project is curated by Francesca Lazzarini in collaboration with MLZ Art Dep and Cultural Inventory.
At the heart of the Adriatic macro-region, Trieste occupies a privileged position between western and mid-eastern Europe, serving as a natural bridge between the Central European and Mediterranean cultures. Near the border and facing the sea, Trieste has always been a melting pot of peoples, languages, and cultures. Over the centuries, it has reinvented its identity, opening up to exchange and experimentation. While its historical, architectural and literary past makes the city a unique observation point for the culture of the 1900s, today’s changes are bringing a dramatic new buzz to the town. Its proximity to international dynamic experience is once again shaping Trieste as the nodal point of a contemporary network, and, due to the proliferation of new independent initiatives, it is becoming an exciting incubator for experimentation and cultural contamination.
The residency program aims to support artists in the research and development of their projects by assisting with access to local resources and facilitating dialogue with the local community, entities, people, and institutions operating in the area.
In addition to constant curatorial support, residents benefit from a strategic placement within the cultural tissue of the city. The operational HQ is MLZ Art Dep art gallery, both as a space for research and study, and as a platform for establishing relationships with other artistic experiences. The residency program includes studio visits, round tables, and meetings with artists and curators working in the area, arranged according to the needs of the artist.
Producing an exhibition is not necessarily the goal of the program. Guest artists and curators will jointly assess whether it is a good idea to present the artist’s work. They may decide to exhibit the current research project or one that has already been completed, or to present their work through other modalities.
AiR Trieste is open to all artists operating in the field of visual arts. It encourages the participation of those who are open to exchanging ideas and capable of conceiving forms of interaction with the hosting environment. AiR Trieste aims to include in its network artists who will make innovative and experimental contributions.
In order to develop an effective exchange, guest artists will be required to hold public talks addressed to a specific or wider audience, and to collaborate with AiR Trieste in giving full visibility to the shared experience.
The duration of the residencies will be agreed upon according to artists’ needs and organizers’ availability.
Artists will be able to access the following facilities:
- accommodation complete with kitchen, work station and WiFi access;
- access to MLZ Art Dep (compatible with the gallery’s activities);
- curatorial support;
- support for research activities;
- establishing a network of interlocutors;
- possible access to exhibition spaces (upon agreement);
- support in the organization and communication of public presentations (talks, exhibitions, etc.).
In order to partially cover the costs of the project and to raise the funds needed to organize activities and events, AiR Trieste requires a monthly fixed sum to be defined according to the specific project.
AiR Trieste is willing to support candidates in the fund-raising activity by providing them a letter of invitation or other useful documents.
Francesca Lazzarini – director
Francesca Lazzarini is a critic and curator. Her research focuses on the role of images in contemporary society, yet she is interested in starting dialogue with other critical and political research perspectives.
She founded AiR Trieste in 2016. As curator, she supports artists in the development of their work/research during and after the residency.
Giulio Polita – tutor
Giulio Polita studied at IUAV, Venice and Universität für angewandte Kunst, Wien. His research focuses on the persistence of history in contemporary cities.
He collaborates with Air Trieste since its beginning. He helps artists discovering Trieste and its history, while supporting them in the research process.
Michela Coslovich – organization and communication
Michela Coslovich is a cultural planner, curator and writer in the field of visual arts. Following a Master’s Degree in Cultural Design at the Catholic University of Milan, she embarked on a professional path within contemporary photography initially as a consultant, later as a writer and curator. Since 2020 she has been writing for national and international trade magazines and since 2023 she collaborates with AiR Trieste as communication manager.