Ultravioletto: Artist Residencies in Italian Companies Foster Creative-Industrial Synergy

Founded in 2021 by curator Sonia Belfiore, Ultravioletto arte + impresa is an Italian program that places emerging artists in companies for short residencies. The initiative, conceived during the pandemic, aims to support young Italian artists who often struggle to secure public funding for research and experimentation. Artists spend a brief period at a host company, producing two artworks: one for themselves and one for the company, which showcases its know-how to internal and external collaborators. The program focuses on sustainable practices, allowing artists to use new materials and waste products. Recent residencies include Federico Cantale at VENETIAN GOLD, Giulia Poppi at Plastopiave, Nicole Colombo at Nord Resine, Caterina Morigi at Masutti Marmi, and Alice Ronchi at Tecnodinamica s.r.l. in Treviso. Ronchi's residency from October 2022 to March 2023 resulted in the artwork "Love Keepers," inspired by her childhood drawing. Using EPS (expanded polystyrene), a packaging material with thermal and acoustic insulation properties, she created pastel blue forms representing a house, cloud, and tree. The piece highlights the material's lightness and whiteness, serving as a bridge between industrial technology and artistic poetry.