09/09/2026 — 31/01/2027
Francesca Schinzani and Gabriele Leo
09/09/2026 — 31/01/2027
Fellowship
Cavàna (an assemblage of traces, practices, and imaginaries of the lagoon) takes shape from the converging studies and fascinations of Francesca Schinzani and Gabriele Leo, focusing on the performativity of territorial imaginaries; on situated artistic practices as devices through which to prefigure possible futures; and on the emergence of atmospheres that, resisting the linear trajectories of disenchantment, generate new affective bonds with places.
The curatorial research will bring into dialogue artists based in Venice and scholars from different disciplines whose work engages with counter-hegemonic narratives and territorial imaginaries. Activated through lectures, assemblies, workshops, and crossings, the spaces of Scuola Piccola Zattere will function as a kind of atmospheric “incubator” for artistic practices, within which to experiment with new forms of re-enchantment of the lagoon.
An ephemeral and amphibious structure, emerging from a situated process that takes shape through its collective making, the cavàna (the Venetian dialect term for hut) will be understood both as a methodology—plural and never predetermined—and as a guiding symbol around which the group’s research will be assembled.
Francesca Schinzani is an independent curator and researcher. Following a background in Performance Studies, she is currently pursuing a second-level Master’s degree in Environmental Humanities at Roma Tre University. In 2025, she was selected for CAMPO – Curatorial Practices Course, organised by Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin. In 2024, she was Writer in Residence at the Venice Biennale. Her research focuses on performative strategies as a means of critically interrogating institutional models in contexts of crisis. She has written for academic journals and regularly contributes to art magazines, including Flash Art and NERO Magazine. She is also a member of Salgemma Project, a multidisciplinary research platform based in Puglia.
Gabriele Leo is a curator, researcher, and urban practitioner. His practice lies at the intersection of art and urban planning, investigating the potential role of live art practices in processes of collective re-imagination, with a particular focus on contexts of crisis. He has participated in several research residencies at art institutions, including PACT Zollverein and Fondazione Pistoletto. He is co-founder of Post Disaster, an interdisciplinary collective whose practice encompasses spatial, performative, and curatorial actions. Their work has been presented at independent platforms and cultural institutions including Museion Bolzano, Triennale Milano, and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. In 2023, they were invited as one of nine architectural collectives exhibiting at the Italian Pavilion of the Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2024, they were invited artists at the Malta Art Biennale.