Venice Lagoon, Italy
Where rising waters meet ancient artistry
Venice, Italy
Sea Basin: Mediterranean (Adriatic Sea)
HOST
ABOUT THE HOST
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary is a leading international art and advocacy foundation. Established in 2002 by philanthropist and art patron Francesca ThyssenBornemisza, the foundation stewards the TBA21 Collection and its outreach activities, which include exhibitions as well as educational and public programming. TBA21 is based in Madrid, working in association with the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and has other important hubs in Venice, Italy, and Portland, Jamaica. TBA21–Academy, the foundation’s research arm, pursues a better understanding and deeper relationship with the Ocean and wider ecologies by working as an incubator for transdisciplinary inquiry, artistic production, and environmental advocacy.
In 2019, TBA21–Academy opened Ocean Space in Venice, a planetary center that hosts exhibitions, research, and public activities that accelerate critical ocean literacy through the arts, fostering engagement and collective action on the most pressing issues facing the Ocean today. Built on an ethos of transdisciplinary practice, this hub is dedicated to nurturing a polyvocal community, engendering creative propositions for the most pressing issues of our time. At the same time, it is steeped in the history, culture, and waters of Venice. Tending to its surrounding communities and ecologies, Ocean Space seeks to amplify local issues so that they reverberate into global dialogues.
ABOUT THE LOCATION
The Mediterranean Sea is a marine biodiversity hotspot, home to approximately 17,000 marine species. An important route for ancient merchants and travelers, allowing for trade and cultural exchange, it is still notable for contributions to the global economy and trade, as well as for its role as an essential, yet often deadly migration path. Venice, a city threatened by rising seas, mass tourism, and overpollution, an “extremely rich and varied yet fragile ecosystem and a multifaceted artistic and cultural archipelago”, is often described in anthropic terms: a laboratory, an observatory, a model. For its environmental and cultural complexity, it is considered one of the hotspots of the climate crisis in Europe and, therefore, under grave pressure to exemplify climate collapse mitigation strategies. However, Venice is also a living, breathing organism, a city with a strong sense of community, a lesson in resilience and adaptability as much as in extraction and collapse.
| Host & Residency Details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cultural Network | Venice Art Biennale, Venice Music Biennale, We Are Here Venice, Cinema Galleggiante (Floating Cinema) | |
| Scientific Connections & Partners | CNR-ISMAR, Ca’ Foscari University, Venice International University, IUAV University | |
| Exhibition Space/Display Venue | Provided by Host at Ocean Space | |
| Accommodation | Six weeks of accommodation is paid for by TIDAL ArtS. Artists will be given a budget along with recommendations for hotels and guest houses for booking. For accommodation in Venice, TBA21 recommends the artists first get in touch with them, specifying any need for the type of accommodation and the time periods for their stay in Venice. On these premises, the team will be able to provide tailor-made options and support with the booking process if needed. | |
| Place to Work & Storage Space | Artists should budget for space to work (studio) and storage space, dependent on the needs of their project. Office space can be made available between April and September when Ocean Space is open and fully operating. | |