Empty Ends Festival at Forte Begato: Artist-Run Spaces in Genoa

From September 14 to 15, 2024, the Forte Begato in Genoa will host Empty Ends, a festival organized by three associations: Mossa, Misto 22 (Circolo Arci Cane), and La Stanza. The event merges visual arts, music, and social engagement to explore the concept of boundaries in contemporary culture through exhibitions, performances, live music, and talks. The festival is rooted in the artist-run space model, self-managed venues where artists work and exhibit. Organizers describe these spaces as "isomorphic places" that maintain shared goals and behaviors across different contexts, fostering creative inhabitation. The notion of boundaries is spatial: artist-run spaces act as "false doors of connection" between centers, peripheries, and extra-urban areas, challenging the city as a cultural hub. Participating collectives include Palazzo Bronzo (Genoa), Superfluo (Milan), and Post Ex – Studio54 Torpignattara (Rome). Misto22 curates performances and live music featuring experimental musicians Khompa and Emilio Pozzolini. La Stanza will lead intercultural and intergenerational workshops. The venue, Forte Begato, is an early 19th-century military fort built to defend Genoa, chosen for its symbolic value. Organizers state that bringing contemporary art and music there "reverses spatial and temporal perspectives" and "breaks down physical and cultural boundaries."