© Francesco Biasi, (Dis)appearing
Francesco, can you introduce us to Fonderia 20.9, the cultural space you have founded in Verona?
Francesc Biasi (FB): We created Fonderia 20.9 in 2015 together with Chiara bandino and Emanuele Brutti. It was a fairly natural process, the result of a shared vision and needs. For us, dealing with contemporary photography in Verona means observing what is happening globally and proposing to the public of our city what we find interesting. It means organizing an exhibition, a workshop, hosting an artist, or simply making available a series of books or works that would otherwise be difficult to reach. Doing a job like this in a city like Verona has, of course, advantages and disadvantages. Surely the quality of life, the possibility of establishing relationships is easier in small cities than, for example, in Milan and Rome. On the other hand, at times, we feel the lack of dialogue with institutions. Without seeming self-referential, I believe we managed to cover an educational role for those who attending Fonderia 20.9.
Installation view 'The Universe Makers' by Bianca Salvo, 2018
Installation view, 'La Photogenique' by Hélène Bellenger, 2020
Installation view 'A Certain Bloom' by Kristina Bengtsson, 2019
Yes, all three of us have a similar training path; above all, we had many common teachers. Over the years, we have grown together, trying to learn from mistakes and never straying from the guidelines we have set ourselves. The search for authors, projects, and exciting topics is constant throughout the year. We always try to keep the programs within a time horizon that does not exceed six months because we have learned that encounters and discoveries are always around the corner. Initially, we organized 4-5 exhibitions a year, now we have decided to limit the exhibitions to 2-3, preferring those projects that allow us to make a wider contribution, working side by side with the author. The choice of a work to exhibit very often also depends on the relationship with the author. It is essential for us to feel that we have a constructive confrontation in both directions. The aspect of production is the one that involves us most at the moment. The theme also plays a significant role in the choice of proposals. Verona is a city, unfortunately, politically aligned, and with few alternatives, we would like to be one of them.
You also found an artistic residence named SÅM. The program takes place in Lessinia mountains, within the Regional Natural Park on the border between Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige, in Italy. How is the program organized? How do you select the artists?
FB: Chiara Bandino, I, and my colleague and friend Ana Blagojevic are curators of the SÅM Visual exploration of the Lessinia project. It is a three-year residency project for artists in the National Park territory, flanked by a series of collateral cultural initiatives. The project collaborates with the Lessinia Film Festival, a festival dedicated to the same region and related issues now in its 26th edition. We have reached the third edition, and every year the formula has been slightly modified. The artists have to produce a body of work on themes closely linked to the territory. Starting from the first months of the year, flanked by one or more curators, they begin a productive journey that sees its conclusion in the collective exhibition held in Bosco Chiesanuova during the festival's opening week. Eleven artists selected through an international open call have worked in Lessinia during the first two editions of the residency. We invited Steve Bisson as curator for the first edition and Rafał Milach and Ania Nalecka-Milach for the second. The third edition, which involved Salvatore Vitale as curator, was postponed due to the pandemic. We selected two artists out of more than 150 proposals that arrived. We hope to be able to host them soon. In addition to the residency, SÅM's program includes workshops and cultural meetings.
© Ana Blagojevic, 'The number you called is currently unavailable
© Nicolò Lucchi, 'Hard Water'
© Chiara Bandino, 'Out of Place'
© Paola Fiorini, 'Coral Plot'
Why did you choose Lessinia?
FB: The desire to work in the Lessinia area is the reason for SÅM's existence. The mountains here have unique and different characteristics. We investigate the most apparent macro-themes, such as the geological and anthropological aspects. But there is also an infinity of small stories and popular legends that immediately attracted all the artists' attention. In these two years, artists have produced different kinds of works: documentary photography, video projects, land art installations, site-specific works, re-appropriation of archives, and sound installations. To demonstrate how the stimuli in Lessinia come from every direction. As the payoff of the project says, SÅM is a visual exploration of Lessinia. The goal we set ourselves from day one was to create an archive of artistic approaches to local issues through visual language. In our intentions, an archive wants to remain available to the community, thanks above all to the collaboration with the Film Festival and its director Alessandro Anderloni. We believe it is crucial for the communities living in the region to receive reflections and opportunities for dialogue from people and artists' concerns. At the same time, we can learn from the local popular culture and the inhabitants. The open call also gave Lessinia new visibility; in fact, we received about 400 applications from all over the world in the various editions.
Installation view 'SÅM artistic residency' at Bosco Chiesanuova, 2018
How does the interaction between the research results and the local community take place? What kind of reciprocal exchange takes place?
FB: Lessinia has a strong identity; members of the community produce many publications about it. We provide these materials to the selected artists, who have the time to start their research a few months before the actual residency. After their arrival, we organize two or three days of meetings with local experts in the various possible areas of interest. The relationship between research artists and the community is significant and formative. In the second edition, for example, the French photographer Claire Laude worked closely with a local architect to explore her work's themes, which then led to the installation of her work in an old stable owned by a family that kindly granted it for the entire period of the project.
© Claire Laude, Murs d’eau, Voiles de pierre, 2019. Installation, yellow pinkish stone from Lessinia
© Claire Laude, Place where I did the installations in Vilio, Lessinia, 2019
In the first edition of SÅM, the artist Davide Galandini focused his attention on a little-known and relatively rare basalt wall as a geological formation. He then created a landmark of the same material to remember the value of that place. The installation took place during an event that saw the community's presence and representatives. The interaction between artists and the local community was real and meaningful due to the researchers' approach and the locals' availability and open-mindedness.
© Davide Galandini, 'Al Lago Tondo'
© Davide Galandini, 'Al Lago Tondo'
© Davide Galandini, 'Al Lago Tondo', installation view, Bosco Chiesanuova, 2018
What have you learned from this process? How do you think this experience could improve and grow?
FB: The first two editions of SÅM have been a challenging training ground for us. Working with artists in a gallery is different from having them as guests for a residency. Respect for their work and their choices is fundamental. The effort to put them in a position to work at their best must be the top priority. In our idea, SÅM must remain an experience firmly focused on the territory, so when hitten by Covid19, we decided not to look for other ways and postpone the third edition to better times. Unfortunately, we had to interrupt a job with local middle school children that we hope to conclude as soon as possible; it is certainly an experience that we will be interested in developing in the coming years.
Installation 'SÅM artistic residency' at Bosco Chiesanuova, 2018 (detail Nicolò Lucchi)
Installation view, 'SÅM artistic residency' at Bosco Chiesanuova, 2018 (detail Chiara Bandino)
Installation view, 'SÅM artistic residency' at Bosco Chiesanuova, 2018 (detail Paola Fiorini)
What about your future projects?
FB: The desire to restart after this complicated year is huge. These days our laboratory is engaged in producing the 'Index G' exhibition by Emanuele Brutti and Piergiorgio Casotti for the European Photography Festival in Reggio Emilia in May. In May, we will inaugurate an exhibition entitled “Ecosophy” in the gallery in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Verona. The theme is that of the relationship between man and plants. It will act as a side event to the screening of Versus, a collective curatorship project that we care about, which has ecology and coexistence as its topic. Together with three European realities, Galleria L’Aberrante (Cevenne), Corpo Opaco (Montpellier) and L’image a Venir (Brussels), we have selected 16 photographic projects that will be part of a shared screening. In June, we will instead be engaged in the exhibition of Valeria Arendar, the winner of the open call that we have organized in collaboration with the PHmuseum. We are preparing something new for September, but it is still top secret.
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