Application deadline: May 15, 2026
Italy
Lo Schermo dell’Arte announces the open call for the 15th edition of VISIO—European Programme on Artists’ Moving Images, a research, residency, and production programme dedicated to young artists who use moving images in their artistic practice.
Curated by Leonardo Bigazzi, the project will take place in Florence alongside the 19th edition of Lo Schermo dell’Arte—Cinema and Contemporary Art Festival (November 11–15, 2026), where eight artists will develop original projects through an intensive programme of mentoring sessions, round tables, and individual meetings.
VISIO reaffirms its commitment to supporting younger generations of artists with the new edition of the VISIO Production Fund, a 35,000 EUR fund developed in partnership with Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci (Prato), Fondazione In Between Art Film (Rome), MACBA Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, and with the contribution of Human Company, a leading Italian open-air hospitality provider, which also reimburses artists’ travel expenses.
Selected participants will develop their projects with mentors Liberty Adrien, Curator and Head of the Curatorial Department at KW Institute for Contemporary Art (Berlin), and Valentine Umansky, Curator at Tate Modern (London). Other guests include filmmakers and artists Carlos Casas and Saodat Ismailova, and representatives of partner institutions: Stefano Collicelli Cagol, director Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Alessandro Rabottini, artistic director Fondazione In Between Art Film, and Claudia Segura, Head of Collection at MACBA Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona. The funds will be awarded to three artists who will work with Leonardo Bigazzi and the Lo Schermo dell’Arte team to produce and premiere their films at the 2027 Festival. An artist’s edition of each work will enter the permanent collections of the partner institutions, which will promote and exhibit them in the following years.
The deadline to apply is Friday May 15, 2026. All information on the application process and conditions can be found at the following link.
The programme of the Festival’s 19th edition will consist of over 30 artists’ films and international documentaries on contemporary art presented as world and Italian premieres, in the presence of the authors. Saodat Ismailova is the protagonist of the Focus On section that Lo Schermo dell’Arte dedicates every year to an artist who has distinguished themselves in the innovative and experimental use of cinematographic language. This year’s edition will feature works by Carlos Casas, Gala Hernández López, Lamia Joreige, and Julian Rosefeldt, among others.
Artists supported by the VISIO Production Fund are: Timoteus Anggawan Kusno, Abdessamad El Montassir, Andro Eradze, Rafik Greiss, Gala Hernández López, Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Olukemi Lijadu, Simon Liu, Valentin Noujaïm, Gerard Ortín Castellví, Peng Zuqiang, Maryam Tafakory, and Yuyan Wang. The works produced with the Fund have been presented at Tate Modern (London), MoMA and MoMA PS1 (New York), Kunsthalle Basel, Eye Filmmuseum (Amsterdam), Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), among other institutions, as well as in competition in festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Visions du Réel (Nyon), and CPH:DOX (Copenhagen).
The selection of the VISIO participants is realized in partnership with Cité internationale des arts (Paris), De Ateliers (Amsterdam), Delfina Foundation (London), Gasworks (London), Hangar (Barcelona), Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin), Le Fresnoy-Studio national des arts contemporains (Tourcoing), Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (Amsterdam), Spike Island (Bristol), Städelschule (Frankfurt), Villa Romana (Florence), WIELS Contemporary Art Centre (Brussels).
Lo Schermo dell’Arte, directed by Silvia Lucchesi, is a project born in Florence in 2008 dedicated to the exploration and promotion of the relationships between contemporary art, moving images, and cinema. The festival features artist films, documentaries, and discussions with leading figures in contemporary art, becoming an international platform for emerging talent and innovative artistic expression.
