Artist Residency • Sardinia island, Italy

Narrating and showing Sardinia to our artists in residence has always been a responsibility for us. In a place that is often told through an external gaze or framed by a touristic and marketing lens, we have tried to shift the narrative by exploring local perspectives and following the life stories of the people who inhabit this island. At the same time, we open these visions to the attentive eyes and open ears of artists from all over the world, who become not only careful listeners and observers, but also active participants and contributors. This is the dialogue we want to continue with this year's residency, following the theme of the previous editions of #UnofficialCartographies. We will let it evolve and expand. The vision of Sardinia will grow through the openness not only of those who were born and raised here, but also of those who have chosen to live in this place, moving here from other countries or from other regions of Italy. The area involved will also expand, embracing the daily life of other villages, as we seek to cross borders to weave stories together. We have met wonderful souls, and we can’t wait to bring their voices to you. Stay connected ♡ #UnofficialCartographies #2026Edition

#RuralAlphabet has arrived in Sardinia! (English version in the comments) Un racconto corale e caleidoscopico di una piccola area rurale di un’isola del Mediterraneo, attraverso lo sguardo incrociato di oltre 40 artisti che vi hanno soggiornato e più di 20 abitanti che la vivono ogni giorno. 260 pagine frutto di un lavoro accurato e, soprattutto, accorato. Sfogliandole troverai anche le opere prodotte dagli artisti in residenza nei primi tre anni di vita di Nocefresca, molte delle quali mai pubblicate sui nostri canali social. Opere che meritavano pagine stampate: ampie, lisce al tatto, di qualità, con testi da leggere con calma, per nutrire pensiero e conoscenza. Lo meritavano perché le relazioni nate con gli autori di queste opere sono destinate a durare nel tempo, come le pagine di questo libro. Così come i legami stretti con gli abitanti del luogo, che ci hanno donato immagini d’archivio preziosissime e pensieri autentici. 📘 La pubblicazione è bilingue (ITA–ENG) e racconta, con immagini e parole, una Sardegna intima e collettiva al contempo. Se credi nel potere rigeneratore dell’arte e pensi che le zone rurali del mondo siano realtà da esplorare e da mantenere vive, forse questa bookzine è anche per te. Puoi acquistarla e fartela spedire ovunque tu sia: trovi il link nella nostra bio! Il libro è stato fotografato tra le stradine di #Milis da @elsa.pizzutto ❤️ Presto lo presenteremo ufficialmente per la prima volta, con una conversazione pubblica e alcuni approfondimenti. 📍 Dove? La risposta sembra ovvia, ma va detta: Milis – 14 giugno 2025. Save the date! ✨ Curated by: Francesca Sassu 📖 Published by: Pacini Editore 🇮🇹🇬🇧 bilingual ita eng 📝 Editor in Chief & Graphic Design: Matteo Orani (@matteo_orani ) 📷 Photo Editor: Ambra Iride Sechi (@irismater ) 📄 260 pages

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢 — ‘𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦’. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪, 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.”— 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘪 In the exhibition 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘰 𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘰 at the Biennale of Ulassai, the works of Chiara Cordeschi (@chiara.cordeschi ) explore the world of viticulture, finding in the viticcio — the tendril, the youngest part of the grapevine — a symbolic element that speaks of support, embrace, and vital force, but also of adaptation, tension, and persistence. Inside the space of the @stazionedellarte a series of thirty photographs portrays the sculptural morphology of vine tendrils reminding us of the many ways life clings, grows, and takes shape, while also subtly evoking the dualism often present in the wine culture of small towns: suspended between being a force of connection and a source of dependency. The project expands through a mosaic of images captured by the artist inside the Church of San Pietro di Zuri, where signs and forms linked to the world of wine emerge — chalices, a sun radiating light, a house. These are traces of a layered rituality, carved into stone, inviting reflection on wine as a symbol capable of intertwining the sacred and the Dionysian. 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗼 𝗟𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗼 Artists: Chiara Cordeschi, Laure Jolissaint, Josef Kováč, Renée Lotenero, Simone Mizzotti Curated by Francesca Sassu Museo Stazione dell’Arte, Ulassai (Sardinia, Italy) On view until June 7th 2026 Photos by Daniele Lai #CampoLuminoso #nocefresca #Ulassai #exhibition #artexhibition

For the May open studios, the four artists in residence showcased their projects thoroughly, addressing memory, perception, nature, and personal experience. Mary Zompetti works on cameraless photographic techniques, particularly the chemigram - a process that uses chemicals and light-sensitive paper to create unique images. Her projects incorporate writing, plant matter, mineral traces, and chemical reactions. On each piece, a sidereal and sculptural depth has been revealed, presenting compelling forms of a language intended to be perceived rather than understood. Filmmaker and documentary maker Ian Nelson, meanwhile, explores the resilience of ecosystems and the communities that preserve them. He developed a documentary project inspired by Sardinian landscapes and their biodiversity. Fueled by his fascination with living things and his keen eye for detail, he constructed a narrative around several scenarios involving local flora and fauna. His work highlighted the fragility of life and the need for human humility in the face of the island’s natural sanctuaries. Makenzie Quinn’s writing takes root in the intimate and the personal journal. Through memory, desire, and introspection, she transformed her workspace into a dense, saturated mental landscape. Through several project fragments, her texts became a tool for exploring the tensions between projection, longing, and self-perception. Finally, painter Josefina de Urquiza presented a series of paintings made using acrylic, oil pastel, and graphite. Inspired by her sensory experience of Sardinian landscapes and her personal history, she creates abstract works that establish a subtle dialogue between colors, emotions, and sensations, inviting viewers to observe states of perception rather than merely represent the landscape. 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙏𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙖, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 . #nocefresca #openstudios #curatorialdiary

”𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘐 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘰. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦.” Renée Lotenero. In the II Biennale d’Arte Contemporanea di Ulassai, within our exhibition 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘰 𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘰, Renée Lotenero (‪‪@lotenero ‬‬) focuses on abandoned buildings in Milis, spaces left empty for decades and reimagined as living, evolving organisms. What remains when a building loses its function? How does a “dead” structure persist within contemporary time, still embedded in the life that surrounds it? With a playful and speculative approach, the artist explores the possibility of bringing these structures “back to life,” inviting viewers to reflect on the new forms of meaning and possibility that can emerge from ruins. 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗼 𝗟𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗼 Artists: Chiara Cordeschi, Laure Jolissaint, Josef Kováč, Renée Lotenero, Simone Mizzotti Curated by Francesca Sassu Museo Stazione dell’Arte, Ulassai (Sardinia, Italy) On view until June 7th 2026 Photos by Daniele Lai #CampoLuminoso #nocefresca #Ulassai #exhibition #artexhibition⁩⁩

This month we shared some really beautiful moments of exchange among the artists and with the local community. The public workshop of the month was led by @maryzompetti , who proposed a cyanotype printing experience. Participants came from Milis and other nearby villages and were invited to create a cameraless self-portraits using personal and family objects. All the compositions contributed to a collective portrait that will be presented during the next open studios this Saturday! We also had a more intimate experience dedicated to the residents and our short-stay guests: a writing and drawing workshop conducted by writer Makenzie Quinn and painter @Josefinadeurquizaart . Through the extraction of prompts from a basket, participants were invited to write notes (for example, about an in-between moment, trying to capture the emotions behind it) and share them with the group. After the writing session, everyone was invited to draw what they felt. Everyone was deeply focused, and you could hear even the smallest sounds in the room, like the pencil moving across the paper. Another beautiful moment of sharing was the video-making workshop led by @ital_ian for the residents, including a drone shooting session of Casa Bagnolo and Milis (we’ll share it soon!). On this occasion, Ian also showed us part of the footage he shot in Sardinia for his documentary projects, and we were all amazed by the many experiences and beautiful images he was able to collect in just three weeks. You can meet the artists this Saturday, May 9th, from 7 pm at @casa_bagnolo ! Save the date ♡ #nocefrescaresident _______________________________ #nocefresca #artistresidency #ruralcommunities #artprocess Sardinia Studio Practice Creative Workshop

E’ in arrivo un nuovo open studios da nocefresca! Sabato 9 Maggio potrete visitare gli studi di Mary Zompetti (@maryzompetti ), artista e docente di fotografia negli Stati Uniti; Josefina De Urquiza (@josefinadeurquizaart ), pittrice messicana-argentina; Ian Nelson (@ital_ian ), documentarista californiano, e Makenzie Quinn, scrittrice con base a Brooklyn. Sarà di nuovo disponibile il servizio pasti e bevande nella corte di @casa_bagnolo . 🌮🍷 Per prenotazione tavoli: 📲 346.8904584 📆Sabato 9 Maggio 2026 ⏰19.00-22.00 📍Casa Bagnolo - Via Diaz 18, Milis Ingresso gratuito Vi aspettiamo :) #nocefresca #openstudios _______________________ #eventi #sardiniaexperience #Sardegna

Paul Virilio, once a cartographer, was also a major thinker on the subject of speed. He observes that contemporary acceleration, fueled by the media and new technologies, leads to a disconnection from the present. Contrary to this logic, the rural art residency Nocefresca aims to offer a different mode of attention: slowing down, observing, grounding oneself. Where boredom becomes fertile soil, and where to step away from alienating urban dynamics is possible. If slowing down fosters greater introspection, then Mary Zompetti (@maryzompetti ), Josefina de Urquiza (@josefinadeurquizaart ), and Makenzie Quinn can attest to this. Through her photographic practice, Mary experiments with printing and drawing local plants and stone onto paper. By employing a chemigram* process, she leaves room for the unexpected, while revealing sensitive cartographies of memory. Her work divulges an aspect of a rediscovered archive, which she connects to her Italian origins, and she explores this through repetitive writing. Meanwhile, Josefina’s pictorial practice lies at the intersection of interiority and lived experience through the absorption of surrounding landscapes. Her work invites synesthesia. Acrylic and local pigments flow fluidly across the canvas, evoking the waters that surround Sardinia, as well as the close connection Josefina has with water. Makenzie Quinn turns to writing about her inner self through her journal. Writing to understand herself, to make sense of lived experiences, or even to relive them. Here, she seeks to create a work that fuses time through three personal “moments” drawn from her diaries. Ian Nelson (@ital_ian ), by keeping a diary of local biodiversity, anchors himself to the territory, using his camera, he captures images, video, and sound within this Sardinian ecosystem. Focusing primarily on endemic and vulnerable species and the dedicated biologists, Ian aims to foster empathetic storytelling and raise awareness about their preservation. *Cameraless technique Livia Tarsia in Curia, 2026 nocefresca guest curator → Pictures taken by the artists in these weeks #curatorialdiary _____________ #artistresidency #nocefrescaresident #contemporaryart

L’esposizione 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘰 𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘰 nasce da cinque anni di residenze artistiche in Sardegna. Racconta un frammento del nostro tentativo di far luce sul “campo”, inteso non solo come terreno agricolo, ma anche come spazio di relazione, ricerca, osservazione e sperimentazione. Curata nell’ambito della II Biennale di Arte Contemporanea di Ulassai, la mostra instaura un dialogo con il luogo e, più in generale, con le aree rurali della Sardegna e del mondo: territori oggi vulnerabili, dove ogni scelta e ogni gesto contribuiscono a ridisegnarne il futuro. L’osservazione parte dal territorio oristanese e si estende attraverso diversi angoli dell’isola, indagandone il paesaggio, le architetture e le tracce della presenza umana e vegetale, le luci e le ombre. Le opere in mostra affrontano alcuni nodi del vivere rurale contemporaneo: lo spopolamento, il rapporto con la terra e tra le persone, il destino delle architetture dismesse. Mettono in tensione polarità che convivono negli stessi luoghi: assenza e presenza, emancipazione e dipendenza, ambizione e collasso, limite e possibilità. E forse non poteva che essere qui: nei luoghi della Stazione dell’Arte voluti da Maria Lai a Ulassai, simbolo di intima connessione tra arte, territorio e comunità. 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶: Chiara Cordeschi, Laure Jolissaint, Josef Kováč, Renèe Lotenero, Simone Mizzotti 𝗔 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗱𝗶: Francesca Sassu 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶: Bruno Meloni e Carla Onnis 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼: fino al 7 giugno 𝗗𝗼𝘃𝗲: Museo Stazione dell’Arte, Ulassai Fotografie di Daniele Lai #CampoLuminoso #nocefresca #Ulassai #exhibition #artexhibition

What happened to our Instagram Stories? If you’ve been following us lately, you might have noticed a shift. Our stories feel different: the voice has changed, the point of view too. This year, someone new is telling the story behind the scenes: Isa Robertini is half Sardinian, half Swedish, and a former artist in residence. Now she’s back with us through the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme. For the next 6 months, she’ll be documenting the residency from the inside, capturing small moments, sharing the process, telling things as they happen, interviewing everyone, including cats! Nocefresca has become a community project. And it felt important to let different voices tell its story. Isa brings an insider perspective —living the residency every day, while also seeing it as an artist. This is an experiment. For her and for us. We’re learning as we go, through trial and error, and growing thanks to her honest and spontaneous presence. We would love to have your feedbacks! Follow us and step into our stories. #nocefresca #artstorytelling #ruralstorytelling #artcommunity #instagramstories

The second chapter of #UnofficialCartographies is guided by Anna, a lifelong Milis resident devoted to her village. In our conversation, what stood out most was her profound love for the village and her unmistakable passion for celebration. Anna describes a typical year in Milis as a continuous flow of festivals, rituals, and communal gatherings. She is always at the heart of these moments—whether as a member of an organizing committee or as a volunteer, baking bread and sweets, cooking, or pouring wine. During the walk with the artists, she led us through the streets of Milis, recalling the many dance halls that once animated the village in her youth, and sharing haunting ghost stories along the way. We also stopped briefly in Piazza San Giorgio, where she told us that the celebration takes place on April 23rd and shared some of its details. #nocefrescacommunity _______________________________________ #nocefresca #artistsinresidence #ruralcommunities maps ruralcommunity ruralcommunities rurallove residencytheme artistontravel sardiniaexperience hiddenplaces walk travelartist

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵’𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗜𝗮𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻 — film maker, US @ital_ian 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗗𝗲 𝗨𝗿𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘇𝗮 — painter, Argentina/Mexico @josefinadeurquizaart 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗭𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶 — photo based artist, US @maryzompetti 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻𝘇𝗶𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗻 — writer, US They are already on the island and, in just a few days, they will be drawn into the celebrations of San Giorgio in Milis. We hope their time at #nocefresca will be deeply nourishing and regenerative. 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: Open Studios - May 9th #nocefrescaresident _______________________ #artresidency #artistinresidence #artistsinresidence