Art Residency London is Open: Italian Artists Respond to Brexit

Art Residency – London is Open, organized by Art Apartments, is a residency program for Italian artists in London, now in its second edition. The initiative was founded by Laura Bertollo and Alessia Pirolo, who previously managed short-term rental apartments in exclusive London neighborhoods. The residency invites artists to create site-specific works responding to the theme "London is Open," inspired by Mayor Sadiq Khan's post-Brexit campaign. In October 2018, winners Alberto Gianfreda and Alex Urso will travel to London. Urso will create a graphic work merging the flags of Greater London's 32 boroughs with the Refugee Nation flag, and an installation using old doormats reading "Welcome." Gianfreda will fragment and reassemble everyday ceramic objects from different ethnic groups. A new collaboration with the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art provides access to its research center and a final event at the museum. Works will be presented on November 1 at Estorick Collection in Islington and November 3 at an Art Apartments property in Chelsea.