Art Apartments, in collaboration with Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art organises Art Residency – London is Open. This project gives to two Italian artists the opportunity to live and work for one month in London in October 2018.

The winners are Alberto Gianfreda and Alex Urso.

Alberto Gianfreda is a sculptor and a professor of Sculpture Techniques at Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. In his work he will develop the theme of the fragment and its reconstruction. The fragments are recomposed by mixing them to generate a new and unique element.

The fragmentation and reconstruction set in motion an infinite process of adaptation capable of transforming destruction into rebirth potential. This way, he will tackle issues connected with the London is Open theme, such as integration of differences through actions of contrast.

Alex Urso is an artist who lives and works between Milan and Warsaw. During his art residency, he will work on a graphic work and on a project involving London inhabitants.

He will create a drape integrating the flag of Greater London, with the Refugee Nation flag. Then, he will knock at Londoners’ doors asking them to swap their doormats with new ones with the simple sentence "Welcome". The final result will be a mosaic of doormats representing Londoners' willingness to be or not to be open.

The theme London is Open is inspired by the campaign of London Mayor Sadiq Khan after the Brexit referendum, stressing how the city must remain open to the world.

Art Apartments will provide for free the accommodation in one of its flat, organise meeting with gallerists and local artists, visits to exhibitions and art fairs, and plan two events presenting the final works of the artists.

The Estorick Collection will offer access to its education department and library and its space for one of the events at the end of the residency.

We need your help to support the artists in London and for additional expenses and logistics.

The fundraising will cover two grants of £2,000 in total; £1,400 in total for expenses for materials; £1,000 for one month rent of an art studio; about £1,600 for extra expenses for the final events.

Find here all the info on the Art Residency - London is Open .