OPEN CALL FOR SCULPTURE RESIDENCIES 2026

A call for the realization of RESIDENCIES AND WORKSHOPS OF CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE / THE FABULOUS JOURNEY IN THE AURISINA STONE, as part of the 11th Edition of Energy of Places / Wind and Stone Festival: The Right to Beauty, in Duino Aurisina (Trieste – Italy), from August 30 to September 10, 2026.

FOREWORD
The CASA C.A.V.E. Association is pleased to organize in 2026 the 11th Edition of Energy of Places / Wind and Stone Festival, a festival featuring contemporary art exhibitions, land art installations, photographic residencies, and sculpture workshops with cross-border collaborations. The program is enriched by creative itineraries, performances, screenings, workshops, lectio magistralis by prestigious international contemporary art representatives, scientists and popularizer.
This year, the festival will focus on the theme “The Right to Beauty”, understood as an ethical, civic, and transformative principle.
In an age marked by the monstrosity of war and the increasing vulgarity of language, perception, and human relations, beauty returns as a profound necessity: an antidote to the brutal simplification of reality and a force capable of regenerating more aware, supportive, and responsible communities. From this perspective, beauty is not a privilege but a fundamental right—a condition for a dignified existence that our Constitution, in its deepest values, recognises as an integral part of quality of life.
A section of the Festival is dedicated to Aurisina stone, a defining symbol of the municipality of Duino Aurisina, in the province of Trieste, whose Roman quarries are still in operation today.

The project RESIDENCIES AND LABORATORIES OF CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE / THE FABULOUS JOURNEY IN THE AURISINA STONE includes an artistic residency hosted by two local stone companies, with the participation of 4 young artists/students of contemporary sculpture from Italy, Slovenia, Austria, and Serbia (one of whom will be directly invited).
The project boasts the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the patronage of the Municipality of Duino Aurisina, and the collaboration with the Šolski Center Srečko Kosovel of Sežana / Higher School of Sculpture (Slovenia), the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice, as well as with contributions from the Pietro Pittini Foundation and the Alberto and Kathleen Casali Charitable Foundations (ETS).
Call 2026 stems from the desire to give continuity to the collaborations of the previous Aurisina stone workshops, which contributed to the creation of KAMEN, the first ECO MUSEUM OF THE CAVES AND STONE OF AURISINA / MUZEJ NABREŽINSKEGA KAMNA IN KAMNOLOMOV, included in the cross-border Karst Geopark (www.museokamen.eu).

The young sculptors/students will be mentored by master sculptors Alberto Fiorin and Edi Carrer, and by curator Eva Comuzzi.
The works produced will be exhibited for a period at the hosting companies and will subsequently be placed within the Municipality of Duino Aurisina, in the KAMEN territory (potentially at the Small Sculpture Park of Portopiccolo and the historic village of Aurisina).
In this edition, participants will work with offcuts from Aurisina stone processing and draw inspiration from the theme “The Right to Beauty” The Festival explores beauty as a generative energy, capable of connecting landscape, matter, memory, and vision through artistic practices that engage with the territory and reveal its deepest essence, without presuming to capture its full complexity.

THE CALL IS ADDRESSED TO
Students and young artists from Italy, Slovenia, Austria, and Serbia.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Applications must include the following documents, under penalty of exclusion, and must be written in Italian or English:
• Copy of identity document (front/back);
• Artistic CV and portfolio (if the attachment exceeds 5 MB, please provide a file transfer link, e.g., WeTransfer);
• Motivation letter (max. 2000 characters) briefly explaining the reasons for participation in relation to the applicant’s artistic practice.

SELECTION COMMITTEE
Applications will be evaluated by master sculptors Edi Carrer and Alberto Fiorin, Prof. Matej Perčič, curator Eva Comuzzi, and visual artist and President of the Association Casa C.A.V.E., Fabiola Faidiga.

USEFUL INFORMATION
• Reimbursement of board and lodging is provided for 12 days in the Municipality of Duino Aurisina, from August 30 to September 10, 2026.
• On Sunday, August 30, the organization will offer a guided tour of significant locations in the area to provide artists with a broader understanding of the historical and cultural context.
• Artist Michael Fliri will participate as a featured artist.
• Artists/students will work with Aurisina stone waste materials supplied by the company Cava Romana S.r.l.
• After selection, participants will be asked to submit a sketch of the proposed project.
• Participants are kindly requested, where possible, to bring their own tools.
• The artworks produced will remain the property of the Association Casa C.A.V.E., which is committed to enhancing them, together with the Municipality of Duino Aurisina and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, making them accessible to the public.

DEADLINE AND APPLICATION SUBMISSION
Applications must be sent by 12:00 PM (Italian time) on June 15th, 2026 to the following email address: casacave.art@gmail.com
Subject line: “APPLICATION CALL RESIDENCIES 2026 – FIRST NAME LAST NAME”
Selected artists will be contacted within 10 days after the closing of the call.
For information: casacave.art@gmail.com / Tel: +39 339 5081138
Website: www.casacave.eu / www.museokamen.eu