Where

Lessinia
Bosco Chiesanuova (Verona)

What is Lessinia?

Lessinia is a geographic region located in the Prealpi Venete, most of which is part of the province of Verona whereas the remaining smaller part remains under of the provinces of Vicenza and Trento.
A slice of this territory constitutes the Regional Natural Park of Lessinia a vast plateau of forests and grazing land, where nature and traditions of ancient populations blend in together. It is a land of spectacular karst phenomena and traditional districts with stone rooftops, it is rich in fossil deposits unique in the world that serve as proof of its origins.
The natural park, instituted in 1990, occupies 10’000 hectares rich in history, archaeology, unique natural and geological phenomena; as well as priceless ethnographical, architectural and linguistic aspects. Bosco Chiesanuova, with a population of 3’000 inhabitants, is one of the most important districts of Lessinia and it is located 30 km from Verona.

What’s SÅM?

SÅM is a triennial project based on the visual exploration of Lessinia. SAM operates in collaboration with the Lessinia Film Festival which includes many cultural events revolving around the theme of the mountain, taking place in the rooms of the gallery Fonderia 20.9 in Verona. The artist residency is now at its second edition and also includes a workshop in Bosco Chiesanuova.
SÅM is a project curated by Ana Blagojevic, Chiara Bandino and Francesco Biasi.

Artist Residency 2020

Salvatore Vitale, visual artist, editor and co-founder of YET magazine, will be the curator of the third edition of the artistic residence. The curator, together with SÅM staff, will select 2 artists who will be invited to work on the Lessinia territory.

The selected artists will have 1 month available, from May 1st to May 31st, in order to produce a body of work, which will be shown at the end of August as part of the 26th edition of the Lessinia Film Festival as well as at Fonderia 20.9 during Spring 2021.
The selected artists are committed to ensuring their presence for at least 80% of the planned period and to ensure the production of a body of work within the time set for the residence.

The programme consists of:

1. Artistic residence from Friday 1 May to Sunday 31 May 2020

Exploration and research.
During the preliminary phase, we will provide all the tools and means (bibliography, maps, guides etc.) needed to carry out the exploration of Lessinia. During this first part the curator Salvatore Vitale and SÅM Staff will be present on site in order to tutor the artists.

There will be a series of events involving experts in various fields such as geology, history, nature and locals that can help in the individuation of the final theme of the projects. Site-specific field trips will be organised for the artists that will request them.
The selected artists will have to work autonomously, in order to interact with the local people and with the territory on a chosen theme that concerns Lessinia.

The artists will be provided with:

  • a bibliography related to various themes regarding Lessinia
  • Free access to the public library
  • Archival material
  • van
  • scanner
  • A set of studio light with backdrop
  • A4 printer
  • fine-art printing studio for the test prints (upon request)
  • A black and white darkroom (upon request)

Contacts via e-mail and skype-call will be provided even outside the period of residence to keep the curator and staff updated on the progress of the work produced.

Editing and Planning of the Final Exhibition.

At the end of the production phase, the works will be reviewed together with the curator and the final installation will be planned.

2. Final exhibition – from Friday 21th to Sunday 23th August 2020

The exhibition will take place in the Centro Culturale of Bosco Chiesanuova during the Lessinia Film Festival Opening Weekend.

Moreover, the participating artists will have the chance to hold a presentation open to the public during which they can talk about their working process and the project they carried out on Lessinia.

Practical aspects and expenses

The selected artists will be provided with an apartment in the centre of Bosco Chiesanuova constituted of – two bedroom with single beds, bathroom, living room/kitchen. Moreover, they will have access to a studio space situated in the Centro Culturale of Bosco Chiesanuova with all the material need (the studio is located two minutes walking distance from the apartment).

The residency will cover the following expenses
–  accommodation
–  food expenses 
(in the apartment)
–  transport from Verona to Bosco Chiesanuova
–  test prints (during the residency)
–  production for the final exhibition
–  stationary material needed 


The residency will not cover the following expenses

–  trip to Verona
–  Restaurants
–  technical material such as computer, camera equipment,..
 

 
 


When the apartment keys will handed out to the artists each one will have to fill in a release form and
pay a deposit of 100 euros that will be returned at the end of the stay.
Due to the timeframe and logistics, the organisation suggests the use of either digital equipment or
black and white analogue cameras (only black and white darkroom available).


Artworks and Final Exhibition

The exhibition will be produced in collaboration with Fonderia 20.9. Each artist will have a maximum budget of 600 euros. The details regarding the production of the exhibition will be agreed with the curator and with the organization that will keep two works as archive. The material produced during the residency program will be at disposal of the organization for potential publication.

How to apply

In order to apply the artists need to send:

  • filled-in form
  • CV and biography
  • proposal project for the residency program (3000 characters max, either in Italian or in English)
  • Artist statement (3000 characters max, either in Italian or in English)
  • Portfolio (PDF format, 25 Mb max, the portfolio should consist of one project or up to 20 images)
  • Video Submissions. Artists that work with video have to provide a direct link. 

to project@samlessinia.com with the following email object “SÅM2020” by 31st January 2020 at the latest.

(download PDF)

(download PDF)

The application is free and open to all the artists. If the artist is part of a collective, the SÅM organization will take care of expenses and hospitality only of one selected member. Basic knowledge of English is recommended.

The presence of the artists is mandatory on the first week of May and during the opening weekend of the final exhibition at the Film Festival of Lessinia in August.

As concern the rest of the program the presence is requested for at least the 80% of the time.

Selection criteria

Applications will be evaluated according to the quality, effectiveness and feasibility of the proposal sent. The level of relation with the territory of the proposed theme will also be taken into account.

Acceptance of the Regulations

Participation in the call implies acceptance of all the aspects described in this document. Each participant declares to have read this document in its entirety and to agree to all its points.

Residency Curator

Salvatore Vitale (b. 1986 in Palermo, Italy) – Salvatore Vitale, born in 1986 in Italy, is a Swiss-based visual artist and editor. He studied Fine Arts at the Zurich University of Arts (ZHdK), and is a professor at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU). Vitale received the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia’s grant in 2015-2016; PHmuseum Award Grant in 2017; Swiss Design Awards, FOAM Talent and Punctum Award in 2018.
Vitale’s long-term projects focus on personal and social development, modern societies and power structures, visual politics and technological development. In his multi-layered artistic practice and research, he makes use of different media and multiple levels of visual narratives.
His work has been shown in museums and at photo festivals including the Swiss Foundation for Photography Winterthur, the Photoforum Pasquart Biel/Bienne, FOAM Photography Museum Amsterdam, MOCAK – Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow, FOTODOK Utrecht, Hamburg Triennale of Photography, T3 Photo Festival Tokyo, Jaipur International Photography Festival. Notably, his participation at «Follow_Me» exhibition in OCAT Shanghai and Shenzhen, and at Lianzhou Foto Festival both are supported by Pro Helvetia Shanghai.
Vitale is also the co-founder and editor-in-chief of YET magazine, a Swiss-based international photography magazine that focuses on the evolution of photography practice within the contemporary art field.

Contacts:

SÅM Esplorazione Visiva della Lessinia
Via XX Settembre 67
37129 Verona
t. +393491430086
info@samlessinia.com