Beyond Boundaries

curated by
Nicolas Vamvouklis

supported by
Municipality of Milan – Fabbrica del Vapore

in partnership with
Ministry of Culture of Montenegro
Clube Portugues de Artes e Ideias
Fluks – Centre for Young Art (University of Agder)
UKNA – UK New Artists
Department of Modern and Contemporary Culture
of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of Cyprus

in collaboration with
BJCEM
Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean

Open studio

Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan, January 30, 2024

The program

• from 6pm it will be possibile to visit the open studio of Beyond Boundaries, Spazio Cisterne

• 6.30 pm official opening

• Institutional greetings from Municipality of Milan and Fabbrica del Vapore by Mrs Maria Fratelli Director Special Projects Unit and Fabbrica del Vapore

• “How you dare?”, presentation of the residency project by Sergey Kantsedal

• BJCEM greetings and introduction to Beyond Boundaries by Federica Candelaresi, BJCEM Executive Director

• Presentation of the residency and the outcome of the ongoing creative process of the artists in residence by the curator Nicolas Vamvouklis.

• Public will have the possibility to discover the artists’ works through an exhibition that includes painting, video, sculptures, and installations by Monia Ben Hamouda (Municipality of Milan), Milica Jankovic (Montenegro), João Gomes Gago (Portugal), Ingrid Bjørnaali (Norway), Ronnie Danaher (UK), and Domenika Georgiou (Cyprus).

Curator Nicolas Vamvouklis in conversation with the six international artists participating in the “Beyond Boundaries” residency program at Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan (10-31/01/2024).

Fabbrica del Vapore is an important Milanese hub of creativity and innovation that promotes international and national artists’ residencies in its spaces, giving the venue the connotation of a welcome place, an incubator of new ideas where an exchange among the artists of the residency, the curator and the place will permit to carry on research, new artistic practices, and peer to peer learning.

Artists in residence can meet specialists from different artistic disciplines working in FDV and exhibition producers and address an attentive and competent audience by showing their work in open studios, open lessons and exhibitions.

Beyond Boundaries is the last residency hosted at Fabbrica del Vapore, from Jan 10th to Jan 31st 2024, supported by Municipality of Milan – Fabbrica del Vapore, Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, Clube Portugues de Artes e Ideias, Fluks – Centre for Young Art, UKNA – UK New Artists, Department of Modern and Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of Cyprus and developed in collaboration with BJCEM – Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean (www.bjcem.org)

On January 30th 2024 starting from 6pm it will be possible to attend the open studio where artists who participated in the 3-week residency at Fabbrica del Vapore will present the outcome of their ongoing creative process. The exhibition, curated by Nicolas Vamvouklis, includes painting, video, sculptures, and installations by Monia Ben Hamouda (Municipality of Milan), Milica Jankovic (Montenegro), João Gomes Gago (Portugal), Ingrid Bjørnaali (Norway), Ronnie Danaher (UK), and Domenika Georgiou (Cyprus).

The program focused on the multifaceted exploration of boundaries—extending beyond geographical demarcations into the realms of the symbolic and imaginary. In this era of global challenges, artists were invited to delve into the nuanced layers of political, cultural, and emotional borders that both define and challenge today’s communities. The artists drew also inspiration from the Milanese context, exploring its liminal spaces and stories.

This creative journey will be further illuminated during a talk between the participating artists and the curator, providing insights into the in-progress nature of their projects.

It will be also the occasion to assist the presentation of the other international residency hosted in 2023

“How you dare?”, is the first artist residency project curated by Sergey Kantsedal which saw the participation of two young Ukrainian artists, Alina Kleytman and Katya Kopeikina, and other figures from the scene from November 2022 until April 2023 Ukraine.

The project, promoted by the Municipality of Milan and supported by Veralab, a company that has always supported women and art, was born from the desire to offer support to artists affected by the war in Ukraine through the creation of a working and productive context that allows them to overcome the trauma of war and its consequences: participation in military conflict, forced immigration, the interruption of family connections and friendships. 

Until April, the artists were hosted in Fabbrica del Vapore and worked in the spaces dedicated to both the production and presentation of the works. Their research is centered on the title theme of the project “How you dare?”, proposed by the artists themselves with reference to the social, political and military crisis that Ukraine is going through.

The Municipality of Milan, BJCEM and the partners of the project are pleased to announce the artists selected for the residency Beyond Boundaries by the curator Nicolas Vamvouklis

Monia Ben Hamouda (Municipality of Milan)
Milica Jankovic (Montenegro)
João Gomes Gago (Portugal)
Ingrid Bjørnaali (Norway)
Ronnie Danaher (UK)
Domenika Georgiou (Cyprus)

The artists are invited to engage in a 21-day intensive residency program at Fabbrica del Vapore, an important Milanese hub of creativity and innovation. The residency is organized to give the venue a strong connotation of a welcome place, an incubator of new ideas where an exchange among the artists of the residency, the curator and the place will permit to carry on research, new artistic practices, and peer to peer learning.

The program revolves around the multifaceted exploration of boundaries – not confined merely to geographical demarcations but extending into the realms of the symbolic and metaphorical. Consider the landscape as a tableau, not only the verdant, liquid, and rocky vistas of the earth but also the ethereal settings of the digital realm and the uncharted territories of the imagination. Within these diverse domains, we implore art practitioners to delve into the nuanced layers of political, cultural, and emotional borders that define and defy today’s communities. In this period, besieged by feelings of insecurity, uncertainty, and perpetual threats arising from the ongoing conflicts, migrations, climate crises, and the profound aftershocks of the pandemic, we ask artists to become cartographers of shared experiences. Through the lens of the artists’ practice, we seek examinations of notions such as care, solidarity, and reciprocity. This residency program aims to cultivate a forum for reflection and discourse, utilizing art as a catalyst to confront the complexities of contemporary co-living. It fosters a collective journey to liminal spaces, where borders dissolve, and art acts as the compass for a mutual understanding of (non) humanity.

Beyond Boundaries is supported by the Municipality of Milan – Fabbrica del Vapore, in partnership with Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, Clube Portugues de Artes e Ideias, Fluks – Centre for Young Art (University of Agder), UKNA – UK New Artists, Department of Modern and Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of Cyprus, and in collaboration with BJCEM – Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean.

Photo credit Laura Arlotti