Saturday 21 September. In a summer going into hibernation, Biella flirts with autumn. Despite the gloomy weather, Cittadellarte is brighter than ever. Right from the morning, there is a sparkling, electric, vibrant atmosphere around Fondazione Pistoletto. There is excitement, energy. What the artistic organisation is preparing to experience and propose is an unprecedented day, or at least unique in its kind, for its authoritativeness and creativity: in the span of a little less than 15 hours, Cittadellarte will host a UNESCO round table and the 26th edition of Arte al Centro, this year dedicated to 25 years of UNIDEE Residency Programs. And like a mirror reflecting the transversal identity of Cittadellarte, one of the aspects that made the day unique was the plurality of the audience in terms of age and provenance. The world of art and the art of the world converging in the cultural crossroads of Fondazione Pistoletto. Let us therefore relive the day through the key moments that shaped it.
Michelangelo Pistoletto.
Zaya Guarani.
Organisers and speakers of the UNESCO round table.
Education to Preventive Peace
On the Saturday, the first conference was a UNESCO round table entitled Education to Preventive Peace: the new Recommendation on Education to Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Developmentwas thus presented, for the first time in Italy, at Cittadellarte. The choice of venue was not accidental: on 8 November 2023 Michelangelo Pistoletto had presented the concept of preventive peace, developed in a workshop called Biella Città Arcipelago Demopratico, led by Cittadellarte, at the High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Education to Peace – UNESCO, in a conversation with Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director General for Education. Then Paolo Naldini, director of Cittadellarte, officially opened the event: “Today we celebrate another document related to the UNESCO Declaration of Human Rights with some protagonists who have come to Biella to celebrate World Peace Day and the 25th anniversary of the UNIDEE school. Good preventive peace to all of you”, Naldini wished. This was followed by speeches by local authorities, the deputy mayor of Biella Sara Gentile (“We should bring the Third Paradise into schools as a symbol of peace. Cittadellarte is an institution that safeguards culture and our future”), and the President of the Province of Biella Emanuele Ramella Pralungo (“We should all stop and reflect on the meaning of the word ‘peace’. To me, it means nature, quiet and serenity”). Michelangelo Pistoletto then retraced the development of his artistic practice, illustrating the steps that led him to formulate the concept of preventive peace, coined in contrast to the concept of preventive war advanced by Bush and Blair. “We can dominate chance,” said the artist, “by making it balance and peace, not conflict. Chance is a companion in both monster and virtue, the choice is up to us”. To speak next was Ambassador Liborio Stellino, Italy’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, who illustrated Italy’s contribution and support for the Recommendation. “Peace is not taught or learnt only in school,” he stressed, “but everywhere, in a continuous process. In this sense, Cittadellarte is a prophetic place: when I first visited the Foundation’s exhibition spaces and works, I discovered that this institution had been tackling and working on contemporary issues for a long time, just consider, for example, the messages conveyed by the Third Paradise”. Stellino then read the speech by Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director for Education, in which UNESCO’s commitment to the Recommendation was defined. Patrizio Bianchi, spokesperson for the UNESCO Italian Chairs Network, focused instead on schools: “Education is an extraordinary ground for equality. And there is no freedom without equality.We must turn schools into places of peace and social recomposition, because there is no peace if there is no understanding”.
The first part of the event concluded with a speech by Carla Guetti, National Coordinator of Italian Associated Schools UNESCO ASPnet – Ministry of Education and Merit, entitled Educating to peace: the contribution of Italian Associated Schools UNESCO ASPnet. “In philosophy, peace is often associated with utopia or a time that is yet to come. Whereas with the High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Education to Peace in Paris, we have placed the concept of peace on our planet as a premise”. After a speech dedicated to peace and sustainability by model and activist Zaya Guarani, virtuous examples from the world of learning were presented. In a focus that ranged from schools, peace, human rights, citizenship, sustainable development, the following speakers took the floor: Mirella Spinelli, school headmistress, and Velia Giangiordano, teacher, from the comprehensive institute “Mario Bosco” in Lanciano; Giovanni Canzonieri (“Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition to benevolence. I imagine teachers as sowers of peace“) and Enza Carbone, teachers; Carolina Miotto and Giulia Miron, students from the secondary school “Marco Casagrande” in Pieve di Soligo; Ruggero Poi, coordinator of the Third Paradise Open School; and Alessandro Mele, director of Cometa Formazione, UNESCO-UNEVOC Centre. The morning ended with two remote speeches by artist Marinella Senatore and Enrico Vicenti, CNIU General Secretary.
Moments from the book launch of Bright Ecologies.
The book launch of Bright Ecologies
The afternoon opened with the presentation of Bright Ecologies. Caretto/Spagna: Experiences, Forms, Materials by Andrea Caretto and Raffella Spagna, curated by Giorgina Bertolino, Francesca Comisso, Cecilia Guida and Alessandra Pioselli. Precursors of artistic practices committed to ecology, the authors identify art as the field of a radical experience of openness, undisciplined research, and engagement with the ‘things’ of the world: earth, seeds, people, rocks, museums, rivers, quarries, trees, micro-organisms. Bright Ecologies. Caretto/Spain: Experiences, Forms, Materials retraces and documents the couple’s 20-year-long work, oriented by lines of research centred on care, on the transformation of matter and on experiments on form, embodied in sculptures, site-specific installations, workshops and residencies, actions and collective projects based on encounter, process, gift, and experiences of participation and co-authorship. The book launch featured the testimonies of Anna Zegna, Elena Carena (MunLab), Orietta Brombin (PAV) and Alba L’Astorina, as well as the contributions of Alessandra Pioselli and Caretto/Spagna. The public was also involved: in an introspective and participatory process, they were able to physically handle what the duo ha collected during their artistic research. “Arranged on the table,” said Raffaella Spagna, “is a collection of ‘things’ that are part of the landscape of our studio. They come from explorations and moments of research, which are part of our desire to experience places”. “Each of these small sculptures,” added Andrea Caretto, “tells stories of specific times and places”.
Michelangelo Pistoletto speaking.
Anna Zegna.
The book launch of Visible Art As Policies for Care. Socially Engaged Art.
Judith Wielander.
The book launch of Visible Art As Policies for Care. Socially Engaged Art
The second book launched was Visible: Art As Policies for Care. Socially Engaged Art (2010-ongoing), a publication that explores the transformative potential of socially engaged art practices in dialogue with more than fifty artists and collectives, and represents the culmination of fifteen years of the projectVisible and the curatorial research of Martina Angelotti, Matteo Lucchetti and Judith Wielander on the relationship between art and the public sphere. The book depicts a scene of artistic practices interpreting the social role of art and its dematerialisation in cultural and curatorial policies that address the climatic, social and political emergencies of our time. The book is envisioned as a polyphonic publication giving voice to female artists, curators, authors of contemporary literature, journalists, activists, and members of various communities. These eclectic contributions provide multiple tools for understanding, and access points on the impact of the projects recounted in the book and their potential to inspire new policies for care within society. Emerging between the pages is the narrative of a translocal movement, with the book highlighting the interconnectedness of geographically distant places and the communion between artistic positions that are transforming the global discourse on socially engaged art. In addition to the words of the artists and the positions of experts from other fields, the book includes a series of ‘assemblies’ in which the artists, curators and researchers discuss their practices in relation to contemporary urgencies, creating a shared space for collective learning.
These dialogues are complemented by a comprehensive chronology of Visible‘s temporary assemblies and parliaments (2013-2023), and an epilogue by philosopher Emanuele Coccia on the possible future evolution of socially engaged art, accompanied by the presentation of a selection of art projects developed in the Italian context which have rethought the connection between art and society, writing new pages in international art history. Interweaving fiction and reality, historical context and contemporary analysis, Visible: Art as Policies for Care offers a profound exploration of the role of art in addressing the most urgent social challenges and imagining a more fair and sustainable future. During the presentation, Lucchetti and Wielander shed light on the behind-the-scenes and contents of the book, also in dialogue with some of the book’s protagonists. Paolo Naldini, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Anna Zegna and Andrea Zegna were among the speakers. “To me, Visible has a centrality in the sense that it unfolds and explains the phenomenon of art in every sphere of society,” commented the founder of Cittadellarte. After highlighting the profound bond between the Zegna and Pistoletto families, Anna Zegna looked to the future instead: “In these times, when we navigate turbulent seas, Cittadellarte radiates light. If I were asked what really counts for the time to come, I would answer education”.
Paolo Naldini.
Andy Abbott speaking.
Armona Pistoletto presents the illy awards.
The three winners: Calcagno Cullen, Pietro Lo Casto and Elena Mazzi.
The presentation of the Minimum Prize.
The prize, awarded to Emily Jacir, was collected by artist Walid Mawed.
Giuliana Carusi Setari.
Paolo Naldini.
The opening
The highlight of the opening day was at 5.30 pm when, in the Concept space, the notes and words of Subsonica’s song Il Terzo Paradiso (The Third Paradise) spread. Paolo Naldini, who introduced and moderated the segment, began by referring to the closing verses of the musical hit. “How will you smile?What air will you breathe? What will you eat? What language will you speak? How will you greet people? How will you work? What will you believe in? – Is the future referred to in the song lyrics now?Ten years have passed since those questions by Subsonica were addressed to a little girl. If we are here, it is because 25 years ago Michelangelo and Maria asked themselves exactly the same questions, together with the UNIDEE alumni and residents. Did they find the answer? Yes, a school to which to bring these questions. Welcome to UNIDEE’s 25th birthday”. The mayor of Biella Marzio Olivero (“The city is grateful to Cittadellarte: thanks to UNIDEE, Biella has welcomed young people from all over the world. I was also impressed by the visit I made to the Foundation with Paolo Naldini: in every room you can breathe the pleasure of discovery”) and the President of the Province of Biella Emanuele Ramella Pralungo (“Thanks to Cittadellarte and to the artist for bringing this wonderful event to our province”).
Michelangelo Pistoletto spoke next, as usual to great acclaim: “I feel quite old at 25,” the artist joked in reference to UNIDEE’s anniversary. “With Arte al Centro and UNIDEE, we are also celebrating the departure of art from its conventional context, from the place of art, yes, art leaves its conventional context”. Ample space was of course given to UNIDEE Residency Programs: among the speeches, noteworthy was the one by Advisory Board’s member Alessandra Saviotti. “Thank you on our behalf for being here to celebrate 25 years of UNIDEE. The exhibition recounts the constant flow of artists welcomed over the years, and we have in fact structured the exhibition as a portal of time”. The opening concluded with the presentation of the three illycaffè awards to Calcagno Cullen, Pietro Lo Casto and Elena Mazzi, and the Minimum Prize to Emily Jazir (all details in an article we will publish in the coming days). Last to speak was Giuliana Carusi Setari: “The anniversary of UNIDEE,” said the president of Cittadellarte, “brought an intense and significant day of celebration and reflection. For me, being able to speak of joy and beauty at this historic moment is like a breath of fresh art”.
The exhibition Ways of Becoming – 25 years with UNIDEE (21 September 2024 – 31 December 2024)
Arte al Centro saw the opening of the group exhibition curated by UNIDEE’s Advisory Board (Andy Abbott, Beatrice Catanzaro, Juan Sandoval, Alessandra Saviotti). The exhibition, conceived as an open studio, is the result of a widespread open call among over a thousand residents and mentors from the UNIDEE network. It features works by international artists, including Mae Aguinaldo Mapa, Nico Angiuli, Mariangela Aponte Núñez, Laurent Barnavon, Lindsay Benedict, Ilaria Biotti, Charles-Antoine Blais Métivier, Michael Blum, Beatrice Catanzaro, David Cañavate, Andrea Caretto and Raffaella Spagna, Rafram Chaddad, Luigi Coppola, Giulia Filippi, Stephanie Hanna, Mako Ishizuka, Emily Jacir, Charlie Jeffery, Cees Krijnen, Olga Ledis, Natalia Ludmila, George Moraitis, Karl Logge & Marta Romani, Matthew Mazzotta, Katia Meneghini, Ryts Monet, Alice Pedroletti, PLoT collective, Anastasia Ryabova, Gloria Safont-Tria, Alejandro Vásquez Salinas, Juan E. Sandoval, Chiara Sgaramella and Kosta Tonev. The selection of the works stemmed from a continuous dialogue between the curators and the artists who responded to the open call, and is conceived as an ongoing process underpinning the residency programmes.
Although only a few of the works were created during the actual residencies, the experience in Biella continues to profoundly influence the artists’ productions. Among the works on display, some were produced for the project 500X1000 and in the context of the RESÓ programme. The exhibition includes video screenings and archive materials with anecdotes, memories, reflections and texts recounting what it has meant to be part of UNIDEE from 1999 to today: as a successful residency implies the gaining of new artistic and human experiences, we asked everyone how their time in Biella continues to resonate in their lives. More than 60 postcard-sized works were also exhibited, designed by former residents as messages offering a glimpse of the present through the memory of UNIDEE. The exhibition was an ideal opportunity to start shaping an archive of UNIDEE, documenting the evolution of socially engaged artists and projects, and providing an essential basis for the future of the programme. The archive includes a focus on the longest standing partnerships that have supported the programme for more than twenty years, namely Fondazione Zegna, illycaffè S.p.A, Ecotermica, A.M. Qattan Foundation (Palestine) and Inlaks Foundation (India). The opening also featured live performances by Charlie Jeffery, Georgios Moraitis, Marlo De Lara, Karl Logge & Marta Romaniand Katia Meneghini.
The performances.
Labyrinth – Preventive Peace by Michelangelo Pistoletto.
Labyrinth – Preventive Peace
Arte al Centro also introduced a new installation, Michelangelo Pistoletto‘s Labyrinth – Preventive Peace, set up in the spaces of Via Cernaia. It represents the labyrinth of life, in which we must continually choose our path, composing our vision and action according to a concept of peace rather than war. It is a continuous choice between conflict and harmony. “Along this path,” says the artist, “spaces open up in which we encounter different works: Love Difference, the mirror table of the Mediterranean surrounded by chairs from all the countries facing this sea, intended as a small cultural parliament of peace; Mirror Well, a monument in which the spectators, bending down to recognise themselves, can see the truth of the mirror and, at the same time, there is the possibility of rebirth in the event of falling; the Reintegrated Apple, which puts nature and artifice back into connection and balance; six QR Codes, in which AI was asked to write as many texts on my works and on Cittadellarte (the results showing our continuous work for peace). The final part of the Labyrinth leads to the permanent home of the Third Paradise, which is the outcome of the path of preventive peace”.
The exhibition Corale.
Corale
Corale (Choral) is an exhibition of the work of the students of Accademia Unidee. It is divided into four acts: Open research – the tables in the Universario present the ongoing experiments and practices of the art students involved in the international intensive programme of artistic research conducted in collaboration with the academy ArtEZ (NL); Engaged art – a space interweaving engaged art forms and exhibiting the video of the collective performance on the self and others, a ‘cadavre exquis’ made of earth, the silkscreen activism posters, the documentation of the performances; Sustainable fashion – a space displaying the expanding forms of fashion experimented by the students, with collections of upcycling, white embroidery and cotton modelling, and fashion communication projects; Tomorrow practices – a space dedicated to the research and works of three students at the end of their studies, combining art and fashion with life. The exhibition specifically features the works of first-year students Melek Bacha, Zenande Athi-Phila Dyiki, Álvaro Guimarães Werner, Filippo Panico, Sara Rognoni, Natalia Terezova; second-year students Francesca Acquadro, Paula Arbach, Martina Bono, Gabriel Croso, Francesca Del Pizzo, Chiara Guillet, Melina Carvalho Mendonça Uchoa; and third-year students Luz Jimena Carollo, Luisa Mertina, Starlite Tigerlili Brian Talma, Andrea Cussotto.
Family Friendly Space by Elizaveta Butakova at Cittadellarte and the workshop with artists Copa and Sordes at Cascina OremoArte al Centro also featured a space dedicated to children, families and anyone wishing to spend a creative and peaceful moment contributing to the making of a collective textile work using the ‘proddy’ technique or engaging in their own artistic experimentation, curated by Elizaveta Butakova, a writer and curator living in West Yorkshire, UK. Meanwhile, on 21 September, Cascina Oremo’s Officine del Cambiamento in Corso Pella 21 hosted an art workshop led by UNIDEE artists and former UNIDEE residents Copa and Sordes, inspired by one of their projects dedicated to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Shop windows in via Italia.
The shop windows in Via Italia for UNIDEE in the city
Replaying their memories, some of the artists who have experienced the city over time through the UNIDEE residency programmes have created a limited series of eight posters summarising in brief sentences moments and experiences lived among the people, nature and different organisations of Biella. Messages that can become windows on the present but also bring back memories of the time spent at UNIDEE. These interventions extend the exhibition beyond the physical spaces of Cittadellarte to highlight how over these 25 years the artistic residency programme has interwoven relations with the public spaces, the people and the processes of transformation of the city. To celebrate with the city and its inhabitants the 25 years of UNIDEE Residency Programs, the shops in Biella’s city centre, and in particular those located in Via Italia, have been invited to take part in a true open-air artistic narrative through a display of the posters created by the artists.
A look at the upcoming activities
UNIDEE’s initiatives continue with the talks at Cittadellarte (click here to view the full programme) and UNIDEE in the city, a series of interventions spread throughout Biella in collaboration with local organisations and associations. To continue to weave relations with Biella’s artistic institutions, the city’s galleries and exhibition spaces are each displaying a work by one of the artists from the UNIDEE network, selected by the project’s Advisory Board. The spaces currently involved are: BI-BOx Art Space with the video works Paper Love and Traumzeit by Armin Mobasseri; Woolbridge Gallery with My Sneakers (2001) by Michael Blum; ZAION Gallery; Palazzo Ferrero with Bakit ako sinusundan ng buwan (Moon Under My Feet) by Richard Legaspi; Palazzo Gromo Losa; and Accademia Perosi with Invisible_Structura_I by David Behar Perahia; MeBo Museum with Nine Fake Wooden Stars, Endless forgetting [Oubli incessant] by Charlie Jeffery. Finally, we would like to remind you of the appointment tomorrow evening at 9 pm at the Cinema Verdi in Candelo, which will screen a selection of long and short films developed on thematic focuses related to the residency programme, to socially engaged artand to the contemporary urgencies on which UNIDEE artists are currently working: the documentary Letter to a Friend (2019) by Emily Jacir, recent winner of the Minimum Prize; the shorts A Cage For Voices (2017), The Red Zone (2018), The Words You’ll Never Hear (2018) by Tom Dale; and the fiction Tomatoes Tree (2016) by Armin Mobasseri.
