PROGRAMME 2026

Summer 2026 Residencies & Exhibitions

SARP Via D. Alighieri 22-24 Linguaglossa 95015


MAY

Public Lecture — Matthew Attard, artist Matthew was the solo artist representing the Malta Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, with the project I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP, commissioned by the Malta Arts Council and co-curated by Elyse Tonna and Sara Dolfi Agostini. Matthew’s practice investigates images as social and cultural constructs and he is strongly interested in situating his practice within the realm of contemporary drawing through a multimedia approach that highlights drawing’s versatile, performative, and time-based nature. His interest in understanding the gaze as a form of drawing – its perceptual, physiological and cultural dimensions – were the focus of his practice-based PhD research at the Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, funded by the Malta Arts Scholarship scheme.


SARP organises a public lecture by Matthew Attard at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Time: 25th May 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Academy of Fine Arts
via Raimondo Franchetti, 5 95123 Catania

Silvia Giordani (Venice)

Silvia Giordani (born 1992, Vicenza, Italy) is a contemporary painter whose work explores the concept of landscape as a site of ambiguity, absence, and potential. Graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, she has developed a unique visual language that bridges natural and synthetic dimensions, crafting imagined environments devoid of human
presence but rich in silent, organic entities. Her paintings are characterized by soft, layered atmospheres and altered chromatic structures, often traversed by ambiguous figures or mineral-vegetal forms. Giordani constructs these scenes using oil and acrylic on canvas, balancing intuitive gesture with compositional precision. The backgrounds — reminiscent of twilight skies, artificial light, or digital interfaces — serve as both temporal and psychological spaces, where perception becomes fluid and layered. Often influenced by speculative fiction and dystopian narratives, her works speak to transitional states, emotional dislocation, and
the possibility of otherworldly architectures.

Mathias Malling Mortensen

Mathias Malling Mortensen’s artistic language centers around space and the interplay between shapes and forms. He explores the tension between light, delicate shapes and complex compositions, examining how they interact with their surroundings. Mortensen’s work reveals an intuitive, minimalist approach, showing careful attention to detail. His art reflects a deep fascination with urban architectural elements and botanical forms, often
highlighting aesthetic qualities that might otherwise go unnoticed. Through his works, he invites viewers to experience the subtle connections between ornamental details and layered compositions. Primarily working with papercutting, painting, and graphics, Mortensen has developed a signature style of “cut-out” imagery that gives his pieces a sculptural quality. His
characteristic papercuts are recognized for their color combinations and layered approach with paper and canvas. This technique allows him to experiment with contrasts between light and dark, different textures, and negative space, creating images that are both intriguing and evocative.

Artist in Residence: 20 July – 30 August 2026.

Daniel Jacoby

Daniel Jacoby (1985; Lima, Peru) is a visual artist and filmmaker. His interest in the human
condition has led him to eccentric characters, places and stories, which he strives to approach from inventively tangential points of view. With a recurring use of abstraction, the result tends to be a personal and subjective exploration of topics like outsiderness, belonging, loneliness, friendship, desire and spirituality. His films have won awards at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam, Videoex, Filmadrid, Curtocircuito and Lima Independiente, and have been screened at MoMA Doc Fortnight, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Les Rencontres Internationales, e-flux Screening Room, EMAF, Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Kasseler Dokfest, MIEFF, 25 FPS Zagreb and Jeonju IFF. His work has also been part of
exhibitions at EYE Filmmuseum (Amsterdam), Fundació Joan Miró (Barcelona), The Banff Centre (Alberta), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Delfina Foundation (London), Casino Luxembourg
(Luxembourg) and Amsterdam Museum (Amsterdam).

Artist in Residence: 1st April 2026 30th September 2026
Exhibition to be held in July 2027.

PAST EVENTS

January 2026

Artist Residency Support Dolomites Bozen — Ben Cullen Williams & Francesco Vullo In January 2026, SARP, in collaboration with Parkhotel Mondschein, supported the residency programme of artists Ben Cullen Williams and Francesco Vullo. The residency included a research visit to Fondazione Antonio Dalle Nogare, focusing on questions of identity in South Tyrol (Sudtirol) and examining how landscape transforms through erosion, in contrast to the volcanic landscape of Mount Etna, shaped by lava flows. This dialogue between geological processes and cultural identity formed the conceptual core of the residency.
24 January 2026
Public lecture 11:30 Parkhotel Mondschein, Bolzano, Italy

February 2026

Exhibition Il Viaggio del Ritorno 14 December 2025 - 14th February 2026 Alessandro Giorgi ( Castelvetrano 1989) is a Sicilian artist who lives between Sicily and Monaco, Germany. His work is influenced by his academic background in architecture, which informs both the spatial composition and the structured layout of his paintings. With an exceptional command of perspective, Giorgi creates immersive visual experiences within imaginative worlds. The surreal stories he depicts blend seamlessly with the dynamism of the sea, capturing the essence of the small fishing village on the western coast of Sicily, Torretta Granitola,where he grew up. By continuously merging the figurative with the imaginary, Giorgi creates captivating visual dialogues that encourage an exploration of unique emotional and narrative dimensions.

February – May 2026

Mentorship Programme — SARP for Academy of Fine Arts Catania.
From October 2025 to May 2026, SARP supports the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania through a mentorship and artistic guidance programme. Four artists selected by the Academy receive curatorial support and critical mentorship from SARP’s Artist director and its team. Professors of the project Marcella Barone, Gianluca Lombardo, Academy of Fine Arts
Catania, Languages of Contemporary Art program. Prof Francesco Lucifora, independent curator and critic, Coca, Modica.
Selected Artists: Aldo D’Amato, Teodoro Agricola, Sebastiano Maccarone, Paola Gusmano. The four artists from the local academy of fine arts in Catania who are about to graduate are engaging in research with the surrounding community of Etna, building meaningful connections beyond the classroom and SARP’s studio spaces. Through dialogue, collaboration, and fieldwork, they explore local stories, knowledge, and everyday practices. This process not only informs their artistic work but also helps to valorize the local territory of Etna and the town of Linguaglossa, highlighting its cultural, social, and human richness while
strengthening the bond between emerging artists and the place they inhabit.
The programme culminates in a public exhibition at Isola Catania, a social innovation hub, presenting works in sculpture, site-specific installation, live performance, and video. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication exploring the landscape of Linguaglossa (Etna Nord) and reflecting on new curatorial practices.

Exhibition Opening:

27 May 2026, 5:30 PM, lecture and presentation of the project to the public.
29 May - 18 June 2026
Isola Catania
Piazza Cardinale Pappalardo, 23 95131 Catania info@isola.catania.it or
info@galleriasarp.com

18 March 2026

The Portfolio Parade Prize — MIA Photo Art Fair x SARP residency
SARP supports the Portfolio Parade Prize by MIA Photo Art Fair.
The artist selected by Erik Kessels will be announced on 18 March 2026, on the occasion
of the fair. The selected artist will participate in a residency in Sicily, followed by an
exhibition (details to be announced) at SARP in Linguaglossa Etna North.
Announcement of the artist to the public 18 March 2026
12:30 pm
Superstudio più
via tortona 27, Milan
More info https://www.miafairbnpparibas.it/en/the-portfolio-parade-award/

19 March 2026
Public Lecture — MIA Photo Fair, Milan
SARP participates in MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas in Milan with a public lecture in
collaboration with Dolomiti Contemporanee, curated by Domenico De Chirico.
Dr. Alfio A. Puglisi (SARP )
Gianluca D'incà Levis (Dolomiti Contemporanee)
Moderator Domenico De Chirico
12:30 pm
superstudio più
via tortona 27, Milan
https://www.miafairbnpparibas.it/en/the-portfolio-parade-award/

SARP x ArtDestinations podcast series

Podcast host: Dr. Sarah Rhodes.
After three successful seasons (Venice, Tasmania, Sicily), Art destinations podcast in
collaboration with SARP Artist Residency and Gallery launches interviews on the island, this
year focusing on the island of Cuba. Cuba’s contemporary art scene is shaped by history,
scarcity, and sharp wit. Artists work between Havana’s decaying grandeur and a
hyper-aware present, mixing conceptual rigor with everyday materials.
www.artdestinations.org

PROGRAMME 2025

Our goal is to strengthen artistic connections across various disciplines. We curate exhibitions and host public lectures, talks, studio visits, and community-driven workshops.

SARP Artists in Residence 2025 Events

MARCH  Leo Orta, a French-born artist of Anglo-Argentine descent, brings his sculptural practice to Sicily with a focus on metamorphosis and the role of the human being in addressing pressing social, economic, and environmental issues. Through his work, Orta challenges traditional notions of identity and transformation. He was 2024 artist in residence at Alula Art Residency Program in Saudi Arabia. This project is in collaboration with Fondazione Elpis, Goethe Institut and Culture Moves Europe Program.
Exhibition opening Leo Orta ,  4 April 2025. 3- April – 1 June 2025.  

André Hemer, contemporary digital artist, will come back in March 2025 to explore themes of perception, place, and the intersection of natural and cultural landscapes focusing exclusively on the sky of Etna. This project is sponsored by the Goethe Institut.

APRIL Hanna Burkart, an Austrian performing artist, creates immersive installations and objects that explore cultural techniques of habitation and movement. Her work invites audiences to reconsider their relationship to space and how we inhabit our environments. This project is sponsored by the Goethe Institut.
Exhibition opening 3 May 2025 . 4 May – 12 June 2025. 

JUNE Santiago Alvarez and Luis Gabriel Sanabria, multidisciplinary artists from Colombia and Puerto Rico who focus on post-colonial narrative of Latin America. They will create  fantastical characters using natural materials from the island of Sicily, during the residency period. These characters consists of several layers, including clay, earth, rocks, ashes, animal matter, terrestrial vegetation and marine vegetation. Inspired by indigenous rituals and rethinking our past,  the project will conclude with an exhibition openining and food performance on the 14th June 2025.
Exhibition 14-30 June 2025.

JULY. Aurora Passero , mixed media Italian artist based in Oslo. She works in woven and dyed nylon can be experienced as monumental installations in the field between sculpture and painting. Building on a broad interest in different cultural expressions such as popular and underground culture, handcraft, ethnology and art history Passero creates spatial compositions where she explore opposing states between material, space, form and content.

JULY Matthew Attard, a visual artist from Malta, was the solo artist representing the Malta Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, Foreigners Everywhere, with the project I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP. During his residency, Attard will delve deeper into his artistic research centered on the Mediterranean Sea. Artist in residence 28July - 7 August 2025.

AUGUST SEPTEMBER   Gabriella Garcia, a self-taught artist whose practice spans sculpture, painting, and installation. Her work engages not only with the space she occupies but also with its origins and influences. Cut-out figures dominate her compositions, where diverse materials interact to create pieces that intertwine with theatrical and architectural elements, offering new perspectives on history through images and materials often salvaged and restored by the artist. Project in partnership with Galeria Lume and Bulgari.
Exhibition opening 14 September . 15 September – 20 October 2025.

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER  Ximena Maldonado Sánchez, a Mexican artist who lives and works in Brussels, develops paintings that explore the relationships between humans and ecosystems, focusing on the textures, colors, and rhythms of plants and mineral formations. Through a fluid weaving of figuration and abstraction, she evokes new and unfamiliar environments, navigating the realms where the two softly converge. 
Exhibition opening 25 October 2025 . 25 October – 30 November 2025.

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER. Alessandro Giorgi.