What does contemporary art mean, and above all, how and to what extent does the definition of contemporary adapt to the ever-changing nature of time and history? What relationship does the creative idea maintain with its historical, social, and environmental context? With the present, past, and future? The new edition of the ARP traveling and training residency will explore the White Cube, that is to say, the concept of an exhibition space. ARP is the cultural and educational exchange program in the visual arts, now in its 11th year, conceived and promoted by the Luigi Di Sarro Center for Documentation of Contemporary Artistic Research, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), and other partners. The ARP - PACK&GO program aims to challenge young artists to conceive and create a work that represents their idea of ​​contemporaneity and is portable for maximum mobility. The work submitted by each participant was evaluated and selected by a jury composed of Alessandra Atti Di Sarro, who directs the project, and Simone Ciglia and Carlotta Sylos Calò, who also selected a young curator tasked with working in dialogue with the artists and creating the concept for the exhibition events. The heart of this project is the Hic et Nunc workshop, led by teachers, researchers, curators, and art historians. It begins with the unveiling of works hidden within the participants' physical and emotional baggage, prompting the group to engage and discuss the most pressing issues in contemporary thought. The two weeks of talks, visits, and meetings culminate in the exhibition at the Luigi Di Sarro Center, which gives new life and meaning to the works presented, adopting a multidisciplinary approach and fostering the exchange of ideas, techniques, and languages.
The first venue for the public to encounter the artists and their works is Rome, at the Di Sarro Center, with the exhibition. The Pack&Go circuit will follow with two international promotional events, as part of the 21st Contemporary Art Day, promoted by Amaci, Maeci, and Mic in Italy and around the world. This fully embraces the underlying theme for the 2025 edition: education, understood as a broad and plural process encompassing research and the exchange of experiences and knowledge. Restitution events are one-off events lasting a single evening or so, where the works are presented and the public is invited to enjoy them and comment on them with the protagonists. Suggestions for a path that aims to emphasize the need for a certain theoretical and practical nomadism that keeps contemporary artistic research open to new ideas and opportunities. This year's Hic et Nunc workshop no. 4 is led by G. Bordi, S. Ciglia, B. D'Ambrosio, M. Piccioni, C. Sylos Calò, and A. Troncone.