Cantieri Montelupo: Third Edition of Artist Residencies in Ceramics

The third edition of Cantieri Montelupo, a residency program curated by Christian Caliandro, has culminated in new permanent installations and a group exhibition in Montelupo Fiorentino. Artists Anna Capolupo and Alessandro Scarabello created large-scale site-specific works for the Parco della ceramica contemporanea: Capolupo's 'Rapacissime' (a 3x3 meter reinterpretation of a traditional harpy figure) and Scarabello's 'Opera nigra' (a 3x7 meter black-and-white triptych). These join a 2016 diptych by Gianni Asdrubali. The residency, running from June 2023 to February 2024, invited four nationally recognized artists with no prior ceramics experience to work with local ceramists. Anna Capolupo collaborated with Ceramiche d'Arte Ammannati to create enameled 'biscotti' pieces. Photographer Maria Palmieri worked with Patrizio Bartoloni on photoceramics, producing the 'Rudralith' series. Roxy in the Box partnered with Ivana Antonini and Marco Ulivieri to create 'On the Air', an installation referencing the former criminal asylum at Villa Medicea dell'Ambrogiana. Alessandro Scarabello applied his 'Heretic Exercise' style to tiles with Stefano Bartoloni. The resulting works are on view at the Galleria di via XX Settembre 37 until June 23, 2024. The initiative is organized by Fondazione Museo Montelupo and the municipal administration, supported by the regional Toscanaincontemporanea2023 grant.