Collective Crowdfunding to Leave Palermo Island 'In Peace' Becomes Art Project
The project 'Isola delle Femmine' by Stefania Galegati is currently exhibited at the Ecomuseo Urbano Mare Memoria Viva in Palermo, with the display open until November 28, 2026. This initiative, which won the 13th Italian Council (2024), originated in 2017 through a crowdfunding effort led by women to acquire the Isola delle Femmine. Galegati's work delves into concepts of ownership and stewardship within ecofeminist frameworks. The project has grown through residencies, collaborating with Gudskul and Jatiwangi Art Factory in Indonesia, as well as engaging with local economies in Zanzibar. The exhibition in Palermo showcases a hologram of the island, the Manifesto infinito, and site-specific installations, with a public program curated by Cristina Alga running until autumn 2026, featuring workshops and the final convivio 'Our Sea of Islands.'
Key facts
- The project 'Isola delle Femmine' by Stefania Galegati is exhibited at Ecomuseo Urbano Mare Memoria Viva in Palermo until November 28, 2026.
- It won the 13th edition of the Italian Council (2024).
- The project started in 2017 with a collective crowdfunding campaign to buy the Isola delle Femmine island to 'leave it in peace'.
- The project includes collaborations in Indonesia (Gudskul, Jatiwangi Art Factory), Tanzania (Nafasi Art Space in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam), and Venice (Ocean Space of TBA21–Academy).
- The 'Manifesto infinito' has been translated into textiles, terracotta tiles, and videos.
- The exhibition features a hologram of the island, the manifesto, a 4K travel diary, and site-specific works.
- Curator Cristina Alga emphasizes the project's participatory and processual nature.
- The public program includes workshops with HD+ collective and a final convivio 'Our Sea of Islands'.
Entities
Artists
- Stefania Galegati
- Cristina Alga
Institutions
- Ecomuseo Urbano Mare Memoria Viva
- Italian Council
- Gudskul
- Jatiwangi Art Factory
- Nafasi Art Space
- Ocean Space
- TBA21–Academy
- HD+
- Ecomuseo Mare Memoria Viva
- Fundacion TBA21
Locations
- Palermo
- Italy
- Isola delle Femmine
- Sicily
- Java
- Indonesia
- Tanzania
- Zanzibar
- Dar Es Salaam
- Venice