Organizer Information
Spazio13 is an independent cultural organization and urban regeneration center based in the Libertà neighborhood of Bari, Italy. Established as a civic and cultural infrastructure, Spazio13 transforms underused urban spaces into platforms for artistic production, social innovation, community participation, and intercultural dialogue. Through exhibitions, artist residencies, educational initiatives, public programs, and collaborative research projects, the organization fosters connections between artists, local residents, researchers, designers, and cultural institutions.
Located in one of Bari's most socially and culturally diverse neighborhoods, Spazio13 works at the intersection of contemporary art, urban development, and community engagement. The Libertà district is characterized by a high concentration of migrant communities, socioeconomic challenges, and ongoing urban transformation, making it a unique environment for socially engaged artistic practice.
Rather than functioning solely as an exhibition venue, Spazio13 serves as a laboratory where artists and communities collaborate to investigate social issues through creative methodologies. Its programs encourage interdisciplinary experimentation, ethical community participation, and new cultural narratives capable of addressing complex contemporary realities.
The Urban Bodies residency is supported through the Culture Moves Europe mobility programme, funded by the European Union. The initiative promotes artistic mobility across Creative Europe countries and supports international collaboration among artists and cultural professionals working in architecture, design, literature, music, performing arts, visual arts, and related disciplines.
Title & Description
Urban Bodies — International Artistic Residency
Urban Bodies International Artistic Residency 2026 is an eight-week international residency program hosted by Spazio13 in Bari, Italy, inviting four European artists, designers, researchers, and cultural practitioners to explore the relationships between migration, urban transformation, identity, and the body through collaborative artistic practice.
Taking place from 1 October to 27 November 2026, the residency unfolds within Bari's Libertà neighborhood, one of southern Italy's most culturally diverse urban districts. Participants will investigate how migration reshapes cities and communities while examining questions of belonging, coexistence, displacement, memory, and social transformation.
The residency combines artistic research, fieldwork, community engagement, co-creation, and public presentation. Rather than approaching migration as a subject to represent, Urban Bodies encourages participants to understand it as an ongoing urban condition that influences everyday life, public space, and collective identity.
Artists will collaborate directly with local residents, migrant communities, civic organizations, and cultural actors through workshops, participatory research, interviews, and collaborative artistic processes. Throughout the residency, participants will develop new works informed by the lived experiences of the Libertà neighborhood while exploring ethical approaches to socially engaged practice.
Urban Bodies welcomes interdisciplinary practices spanning visual arts, performance, design, spatial practice, sociology, and cultural research, encouraging innovative methodologies that bridge artistic production with community participation and urban analysis.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Contemporary Art
- Performance
- Theatre
- Dance
- Sound Art
- Photography
- Video Art
- Installation
- Public Art
- Material Design
- Spatial Practice
- Ecological Design
- Craft
- Social Design
- Community-Based Art
- Participatory Art
- Urban Studies
- Sociology
- Cultural Research
- Socially Engaged Art
- Interdisciplinary Art
- Artistic Research
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Open to artists, designers, researchers, and cultural practitioners from Creative Europe countries.
- Applicants must:
- Hold European nationality.
- Have legal residence in an EU Member State (including Overseas Countries and Territories).
- Hybrid and interdisciplinary practices are welcome.
- Previous experience with:
- Migration-related projects.
- Community engagement.
- Participatory artistic practice.
- Multicultural contexts.
- Socially engaged research.
- Knowledge of Italian is considered advantageous but is not mandatory.
- Applicants should demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and ethically with local communities.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Fully funded eight-week international residency.
- International travel to Bari.
- Local transportation related to residency activities.
- Accommodation for the entire residency period.
- Daily subsistence support.
- Access to studio spaces, equipment, technologies, and production facilities.
- Weekly professional training sessions.
- Networking opportunities with:
- Local communities.
- Cultural organizations.
- Designers.
- Architects.
- Fashion professionals.
- Creative practitioners.
- Professional mentoring throughout the residency.
- Opportunities to develop new collaborative artistic projects.
- Public presentation of residency outcomes.
Application Fee
Online Application
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 30 July 2026
- Selection Results: 18 August 2026
- Residency Period: 1 October – 27 November 2026
Location
Bari, Italy
Additional Details
Urban Bodies emphasizes ethical collaboration and responsible community engagement. Participants are expected to avoid extractive approaches to migration and instead develop projects grounded in reciprocity, informed consent, contextual sensitivity, and respect for participants' dignity.
Throughout the residency, artists will receive guidance on ethical methodologies for documentation, public presentation, and collaborative research while working alongside local residents and organizations.
The residency follows four interconnected phases:
- Territorial research and community encounters.
- Co-creation and collaborative design.
- Artistic production.
- Public presentation and knowledge sharing.
Applications are evaluated according to artistic quality, relevance to the residency theme, experience with socially engaged or migration-related practices, collaborative capacity, feasibility of the proposed approach, and sensitivity toward urban and community contexts.
Urban Bodies forms part of the Culture Moves Europe programme, one of the European Union's largest mobility initiatives supporting international collaboration among artists and cultural professionals across the Creative Europe countries.