(by Roberto Nardi).
Thirteen artists under 30
selected by the foundation Istituzione Fondazione Bevilacqua La
Masa for a one-year residency will showcase their work mid-May
in Venice.
The foundation has been sponsoring young artists for the past
120 years.
The international artists this year, whose ateliers are at
Palazzo Carminati and the ex convent of Cosma and Damiano on the
island of Giudecca are: Ruth Berarha, Jaspal Birdi, Oscar Isaias
Contrera Rojas, Alessandro De Petre, Barbara De Vivi, Chiara
Enzo, Marta Fassina, Giacomo Gerboni, Yimin He, Francesco
Pozzato, Valentina Rosa, Sonia Veronese, Matteo Vettorello,
Xhabir Xhimi Hoti.
Generations of young artists have been learning and working
under the sponsorship of the foundation, first at Cà Pesaro and
subsequently in Palazzo Carminati and in a new exhibiting space
on the Giudecca island since a local aristocrat, Felicita
Bevilacqua La Masa, wrote her will on February 18, 1898.
The Verona native, who married general Giuseppe La Masa,
arranged for young painters to use for free, or at a very low
rent, the last floor of Ca' Pesaro, a building that she left to
the city of Venice.
Archives show that artists started working under the
foundation's patronage in 1901.
The initiative's curators, Stefano Cecchetto and Stefano
Coletto, said the one-year residency provides artists with
enough time to focus on their work and evolve.
''Over the past few years we have never received requests for
an extension for an extra year'', they said.
''The period is considered sufficient''.
Cecchetto and Coletto said youths nowadays have no desire to
keep their ateliers for years as occurred in the past, citing
artist Juti Ravenna's record residency from 1923 until 1948.
The sense of community however has remained unchanged, they
said.
Artists eat together at Palazzo Carminati, where they meet
with curators and gallerists.
The Bevilacqua La Masa's president, Bruno Bernardi, said the
foundation's mission remains ''the promotion of the artistic
production'' of young artists, ''their training and relationship
with art dealers''.
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