Progetto

The Air Conditioner (2016-2025) was produced in Lecce, Italy from iron ingots melted down from a decommissioned air-conditioning unit originally located in an insurance company in Tehran. The unit first appeared as part of a temporary public sculpture in Tehran in 2016. It was subsequently reassembled and returned to its original site in northeast Tehran, where it remained in operation until November 2018. The work was then transported to New York and melted into iron ingots, which were exhibited at the SculptureCenter in 2019 and again in 2021. In 2025, Emamifar brought the ingots to Lecce, where a local ironworker carved them into doorstops. These were exhibited in Disjecta at Progetto, Lecce, where they functioned to hold open the gallery’s doors. At Emalin, the doorstop continues this operation: here it holds open a door not usually accessible to the public. Niloufar Emamifar The Air Conditioner, 2016–2025 Mixed iron 2.5 x 8 x 4 cm Niloufar Emamifar The Air Conditioner, 2016–2025 Mixed iron 1.5 x 8.2 x 3 cm Contour Fatigue II, Emalin, London, UK 17 April – 23 May 2026 Olga Balema, Adriano Costa, Niloufar Emamifar, Namio Harukawa, Stanislava Kovalcikova, Jac Leirner, Kate Spencer Stewart, Franco Vimercati Photos by Stephen James. #niloufaremamifar @niloufarem @emalinofficial

The new rooftop space at Progetto is connected to the main space by a small passageway, making concurrent programming possible, including exhibitions, screenings, readings, and more. When we first conceived of the rooftop, we referred to it as the poetry space—or a space for poetry—thinking of poetics as something expansive. The rooftop is visible from the streets below, from the balconies of our neighbors, and from within Progetto. The stairs leading to the roof were designed by Grant Mooney. _ Il nuovo spazio sul tetto di Progetto è collegato allo spazio principale tramite un piccolo passaggio. È destinato a mostre, proiezioni, reading e altro. Siamo felici di espandere Progetto in questo modo e di rendere possibile una programmazione parallela. Quando abbiamo immaginato per la prima volta il tetto, lo abbiamo chiamato lo spazio della poesia — o uno spazio per la poesia — pensando alla poetica come a qualcosa di espansivo. Il tetto è visibile dalla strada sottostante, dai balconi dei nostri vicini e dall’interno di Progetto. Le scale che conducono al tetto sono state progettate da Grant Mooney. _ Stairs Grant Mooney & iron work by Emanuele Sergi (Gagliano del Capo) @lilxl Railing La Bottega Del Ferro (Squinzano) @labottegadelferrosabetta Photos @gianlucapicchio90

Marco Vitale I am you, you are me. Let everything be for our neighbor. May 19, 2025, 6pm–sunset Rooftop Space at Progetto On Monday, May 19, 2025, Progetto inaugurated its new rooftop space with Marco Vitale’s work: I am you, you are me. Let everything be for our neighbor. This durational, site-responsive work unfolded as an act of writing, witnessing, and intimate exchange. It began with a night spent alone writing inside Progetto and extended into a ritual shared with others—through a writing workshop. Participants who had taken part in a writing process the day prior returned to guide one-on-one encounters throughout Progetto—a quiet choreography of voices, as performers read texts shaped by their time in the space. The rooftop became the place of arrival: a site of listening and shared reflection, as day turned to dusk. The work closed with a projection of the writings in the Progetto library—a visual echo, both archive and offering. Participants: Lara Gigante, Marco La Cava, Thomas Lanzellotti, Marvin Vese, Matteo Terzi, Danilo Billermann, Alba Cobo, Lauren Spedicato, Angelica Calabrese. #marcovitale @marcovvitale photos Gianluca Pisicchio @gianlucapicchio90

Vattene Nuvola Nera: Magic and the South Symposium with Grazia Amelia Bellitta Sunday, March 30, 2025 13.00 lunch / 17.00 open discussion with food and wine. On Sunday, March 30, 2025, Progetto presented Vattene Nuvola Nera, a symposium exploring magic, care, and ritual inherent in food. A lunch for 21 guests, symbolizing ‘The World’ in tarot, inspired by the maternal act of nourishment as a form of protection, healing, and rebirth. As a child, my mother transformed every dish into a daily spell, a medicine that fought weakness and illness, an act of love meant to restore my energy and vitality. But also her despair when I wouldn’t eat. She would suffer too, taking on my discomfort so that I could heal. In this project, I sought to recreate that gesture of care, transmitting the same protective and regenerative energy to my guests. Every dish became a portal to a symbolic dimension, where food was not just sustenance, but a magical practice that heals and unites. The table, set to evoke the intimacy and imperfection of a home dining space, became the altar of this collective ritual. The public was invited to observe the ritual, participate in the transformation of the table, and at the end of the meal, reflect and discuss the meaning of this act: food as magic, the meal as a spell, the table as an altar. Vegetables, cheese, cured meats, meat, and wine were produced by Grazia Amelia’s father from their small family farm in the countryside (Stellosa) in Oriolo, Calabria, and brought to Lecce to be prepared at Progetto. A punk zine menu was created for the event, with a publication to follow. _ Sunday, March 30, 2025 at Progetto: 13.00: Lunch followed by an open community talk at 17.00 with food & wine. 17.00: Progetto opened to all to speak about magic, the South, food as healing, and more. _ Zine Menu / Publication: Panopticon Publishing, Grazia Amelia Bellitta, text by Enrico Camprini. Culinary support: Giulia Baglivo (Apulian chef, Tricase) Photos by Gianluca Pisicchio #graziaameliabellitta @melamangiai @panopticon_publishing @enrico_camprini @giuliabaglivoo @gianlucapicchio90

This past year at Progetto, we opened a new rooftop space and presented several short programs and a symposium. This week we will post documentation from our 2025 Short Programs and soon announce new programming and publishing projects. Progetto, 2025 March 30 Symposium: Vattene Nuvola Nera: Magic and the South with Grazia Amelia Bellitta Lunch followed by a talk at Progetto April 26 - May 09 Short program: Queer Market Show Takeover May 19 Rooftop program: I am you, you are me. Let everything be for our neighbor, Marco Vitale @melamangiai @_qms_ @hugobauschbelbachir @marcovvitale @lilxl design @peach_wien _ Quest’ultimo anno a Progetto abbiamo aperto un nuovo spazio sul rooftop e presentato diversi programmi brevi e un simposio. Questa settimana pubblicheremo la documentazione dei nostri Short Programs del 2025 e presto annunceremo nuovi progetti di programmazione e pubblicazione. Progetto, 2025 30 marzo Symposium: Vattene Nuvola Nera: Magic and the South with Grazia Amelia Bellitta Pranzo seguito da una conversazione a Progetto 26 aprile – 9 maggio Short program: Queer Market Show Takeover 19 maggio Rooftop program: I am you, you are me. Let everything be for our neighbor, Marco Vitale

Niloufar Emamifar is included in Grant Mooney: sum at Museum Abteiberg. With his relational concept of sculpture, Mooney creates a field of currents and flows between objects from the collection of Museum Abteiberg, selected historical works, and works by other contemporary artists. The Wolves is a cast site in Puglia characterized as a zone of indeterminacy. This space is materially present yet juridically unsettled, and thus excluded from conventional zoning regulation. The site was identified in Marittima, Italy, through a process of fieldwork that relied on local knowledge and oral accounts. Niloufar Emamifar The Wolves 2025 Polyurethane resin, soil, asphalt, dust 402 x 203 x 2.75 cm __ Grant Mooney sum, curated by Alke Heykes with Laura Aguilar, Olga Balema, Joseph Beuys, Patricia L. Boyd, Wisrah C. V. da R. Celestino, Hanne Darboven, Melvin Edwards, Niloufar Emamifar, Flint Jamison, Jannis Kounellis, Grant Mooney and Winona Sloane Odette, Robert Morris, Ulrich Rückriem, Karin Sander, and Takis Museum Abteiberg 29 March – 20 September 2026 @niloufarem #niloufaremamifar @lilxl @alkeheykes @museumabteiberg Image credits: 1-3 Grant Mooney, sum, installation view, Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach, 2026. Courtesy the artist and Museum Abteiberg. Photo: Studio Kukulies. 4 Photo: Simon Veres

Niloufar Emamifar, Offcut Kunsthalle Zürich 07.02 – 25.05.2026 Installation views of the exhibition are now online. For more information and the full documentation please visit Kunsthalle Zürich’s website. The exhibition is curated by Fanny Hauser and continues until 25 May 2026. Supported by / Unterstützt vom SüdKulturFonds. Photos: Gina Folly @gina_folly @niloufarem @fanny.hauser @kunsthallezurich @lowenbraukunst @diezurchermuseen @kulturzueri.ch

We are excited to announce our 2026 and early 2027 programs at Progetto: an exhibition by Tarik Kiswanson, a program by Gregg Bordowitz, an exhibition by Onyeka Igwe, and an exhibition with archives, talks, and screenings by Erika Balsom. Additional symposiums, film screenings, and rooftop programs will follow. We are also organizing programs in 2026–2027 with artist and curator Beatrice Gibson, curator and PhD candidate in Gender Studies Valeria Raho, writer and artist Allison Grimaldi Donahue, and others. @tarikkiswanson #greggbordowitz @memoriesofabiglife @_e_d_b_ @beatricegibson @oharairelav @allisonuccia /  Siamo entusiasti di annunciare i nostri programmi 2026 e inizio 2027 a Progetto: una mostra di Tarik Kiswanson, un programma di Gregg Bordowitz, una mostra di Onyeka Igwe e una mostra con archivi, conferenze e proiezioni di Erika Balsom. Seguiranno ulteriori simposi, proiezioni cinematografiche e programmi sul tetto. Stiamo anche organizzando programmi nel 2026–2027 con l’artista e curatrice Beatrice Gibson, la curatrice e dottoranda in Studi di Genere Valeria Raho, la scrittrice e artista Allison Grimaldi Donahue e altri.

Artists and writers we have worked with at Progetto over the past years through exhibitions, short programs, symposiums, political dinners, and library publications. We look forward to continuing this work with many more artists and writers in the future. — Artisti e scrittori con cui abbiamo lavorato a Progetto negli ultimi anni attraverso mostre, brevi programmi, simposi, cene politiche e pubblicazioni della nostra biblioteca. Non vediamo l’ora di continuare questo lavoro, in futuro, con molti altri artisti e scrittori. — Sandra Abbate Ambra Abbaticola Noah Barker Hugo Bausch Belbachir Grazia Amelia Bellitta Alexander Ingham Brooke Dora Budor Nina Canell Giacomo Cavalera János Chialá Cineteca di Bologna – Michela Zegna Kyle Dancewicz Aria Dean Michael Dean Niloufar Emamifar Stefano Faoro ektor garcia Lara Gigante Michèle Graf & Selina Grüter Dan Graham Ebony L. Haynes E. Jane Audre Lorde Sara Magenheimer Cecilia Mangini Enrica Anastasia Marangio Grant Mooney Marco Musarò Wyatt Niehaus Amalie Svarre Nielsen Winona Sloane Odette Pat O’Neill Lydia Ourahmane Pier Paolo Pasolini Queer Market Show Ser Serpas SoiL Thornton K. Verlag Marco Vitale Marina Vishmidt Robin Watkins Bri Williams Michaela Züge-Bruton Design by PEACH @peach_wien

Niloufar Emamifar The Wolves, 2025 Polyurethane resin, soil, asphalt, dust  402 x 203 x 2.75 cm Niloufar Emamifar The Wolves, 2025 Polyurethane resin, soil, asphalt, dust  380 x 47 x 3.5 cm The Wolves and Manduria are casts of sites in Puglia characterized as zones of indeterminacy. These spaces are materially present yet juridically unsettled, and thus excluded from conventional zoning regulation. These sites were identified in Manduria and Marittima through a process of fieldwork that relied on local knowledge and oral accounts. Niloufar Emamifar Disjecta July 27 - December 31, 2025 #niloufaremamifar @niloufarem photos @simonveres_aeph

Niloufar Emamifar Cinema Anita, 2025 Wood, paint, nails, glue Dimensions variable The Teatro Anita, constructed between 1922 and 1925 in Poggiardo by Avv. Paolo Pispico, was conceived as a project to promote popular culture through the adaptation of part of an adjacent ancient convent next to the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Inaugurated in 1925 with the operetta ‘Il paese dei campanelli’, the theater soon encountered financial difficulties, leading to its conversion into a silent film cinema in 1928, a function it maintained until the advent of sound cinema in 1934. Substantial renovations in 1950 included the removal of the original box seating. The theater has remained vacant for the past thirty years. All acoustic wooden wall panels from Cinema Anita were removed and reinstalled in the final room of Progetto, following the architectural configuration of the space while maintaining the original dimensions of the panels. Remaining panels are stored on site at Progetto. Niloufar Emamifar Disjecta July 27 - December 31, 2025 #niloufaremamifar @niloufarem photos @simonveres_aeph

Niloufar Emamifar Manduria, 2025 Polyurethane resin, soil, dust, rocks, glass  272 x 137 x 5.5 cm The Wolves and Manduria are casts of sites in Puglia characterized as zones of indeterminacy. These spaces are materially present yet juridically unsettled, and thus excluded from conventional zoning regulation. These sites were identified in Manduria and Marittima through a process of fieldwork that relied on local knowledge and oral accounts. Niloufar Emamifar Disjecta July 27 - December 31, 2025 #niloufaremamifar @niloufarem photos @simonveres_aeph