How did Linea’s project and presentation of spaces and curatorial board come about?
linea, a new space for production and research on contemporary practices, was born in Lecce in December 2020, on the initiative of Alice Caracciolo. Through a public programme of exhibitions, live performances and training activities, linea investigates the practices and languages of the most current artistic research to create a dialectical exchange between artists, curators and the public and bridge the gap between the latter and the work of art. linea also hosts a two-year school on photography and the contemporary image
To whom are the line training activities addressed?
Line’s training activities are aimed at photographers, visual artists and anyone wishing to explore issues related to the contemporary image. Through a two-year course, issues related to photographic technique, the history and evolution of the medium and the professionalism linked to this world are addressed; a substantial part of the teaching also focuses on photography as a privileged medium for contemporary art, with a significant focus on the world of publishing and artists’ books.
Impact on the territory, previous experiences and training practices: your idea of training.
In recent years, Southern Italy has seen the proliferation of numerous independent and artist-run spaces and linea is actively participating in the advancement of this cultural process. The idea was born from Alice’s six years of experience in one of these spaces, but it has evolved and grown, expanding its activities and interest in contemporary art; the school also places a greater focus on the world of visual art and directs students towards achieving their expressive language.
How does the exhibition activity fit into the project?
Nowadays the photographic image is in full relationship with the visual arts, operating a space-laboratory dedicated to emerging contemporary art nourishes growth on both sides, on the school and the exhibition programme, both for the students and for the artists involved.
We opened the space with a personal exhibition by Luca Coclite, which was later joined by an intervention by Vincenzo Procino and Mauro Diciocia curated by Aaltra. It was for us a symbolic way to demonstrate an openness towards the other research spaces in the city and at the same time a way to take in hand again the basic guides of our curatorial practice focused on an idea of the intersection of germinal or marginal elements, which can potentially subvert the very idea of the exhibition.
