Con.divisione 14
Con.divisione · graphic design, production support, community mediator
Con.divisione is an artistic residency founded in 2012 in Mola di Bari by Officina dell'Arte APS. Each edition brings together Italian and international artists to critically explore the present through installations, performances and various media. For the thirteenth edition I contributed at multiple levels: graphic design and production, giving visual and logistical form to the residency, and community mediation — the part that, in a project like this, makes the difference between an event and a true encounter. I also co-curated and developed the installation Sproloquio Curatoriale.
What happens to a place when it stops being lived in and starts to be consumed?
The castle of Mola di Bari, with its historical and architectural stratification, represents the contrast between local identity and mass tourism. The symbolic image was a luminous “HOTEL” sign on the castle roof. Ironic, uncomfortable, impossible to ignore.
Sixteen works distributed across three levels of the castle formed a path to traverse, not just to observe. Artists from Italy, Brazil, Austria, Spain, Turkey and Belarus brought very different perspectives on the same themes — touristification, ecology, rights, global conflicts — without ever losing contact with the specific territory of Mola and the people who inhabit it. The closing evening of 30 August was not just an open exhibition: it was an event punctuated by performances, sound installations and moments of dialogue built to bring artists and the local community together.