ABOUT
AiR Trieste is an artist-in-residence program aimed to offer visual artists and researchers the opportunity to spend a period in the city of Trieste working on context-based projects, carrying out research that may intersect with the local scene, or simply benefitting from a physical and mental space where thinking, unthinking, and welcoming the unexpected. AiR Trieste conceives the residency as a means of research and collaboration and artists as agents of encounter and knowledge diffraction. Curated by Francesca Lazzarini the program is a collaboration with MLZ Art Dep and Cultural Inventory.
The northernmost harbor of Mediterranean, placed at the extreme North-East of Italy, and close to Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia, Trieste occupies a privileged position which made it a place of intersection between peoples, languages, conflicts, and experimentations. Over the centuries, the city was disputed between different States but most interestingly it has been characterized by the coexistence of multiple cities in one, a co-coexistence that didn’t necessarily mean co-habitation and togetherness. While its historical, architectural, and literary past makes the city a unique observation point for the cultural and political events of the XX Century, the present and future of the city is still to be unfolded. If Trieste is among the leading ports in Europe, the city needs today to reinvent its scale and system of relations. Its proximity to dynamic international experiences and the proliferation of new independent initiatives can be the point of departure for new processes of intersection and networking, experimentation and cultural diffraction.
The residency program aims to support artists in the research and development of their projects by facilitating access to local resources and 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 MLZ Art Dep art gallery constitutes a space for research and study and 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 artists’ needs. AiR Trieste program also boasts a network of cross-border connections and collaborations with public and private entities based in Ljubljana, Rijeka, Vienna and Graz.
The program welcomes artists operating in the field of visual arts and research-based practices. It encourages the participation of those open to exchange and willing to interact with the hosting environment. AiR Trieste aims to include in its network researchers who will make critical and experimental contributions to the current debates on our time’s social and political urgencies. Guest artists might be required to hold public talks addressed to specific or general audiences and collaborate with AiR Trieste to give wide visibility to the shared experience.
The program’s aspiration is to offer an open and convivial space for encounter, research and thinking. Although producing artwork is not the primary goal of the residency, several artists who have participated over the years have had the opportunity to present or display their works.
The duration of the residencies will be agreed upon according to artists’ needs and organizers’ availability.
Artists will be provided with accommodation in the city center, access to MLZ Art Dep (compatible with the gallery’s activities), curatorial support, support for networking and research, and the organization and communication of public presentations and events.
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 available to support applicants in fundraising by providing them with an invitation letter or additional useful documentation.
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 – research support
Giulio Polita studied at IUAV, Venice and Universität für angewandte Kunst, Wien. His research focuses on the persistence of history in contemporary cities.
He has collaborated 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.