GRAND HOTEL EUROPA, a project by Italian artist Alex Urso, will conclude in Malta through a residency with Unfinished Art Space and an exhibition at Studio 87 in Valletta.
Urso’s visit to Malta will follow the first two chapters of the project, which have already taken place in Belgrade, Serbia and in Ustka on the Baltic Coast. GRAND HOTEL EUROPA explores the rise of nationalistic feelings from different perspectives and philosophies, with a particular focus on the migrant flows through and around Europe, through a series of works in drawing, collage and installations in several European countries.
The project takes its name from a large hotel, the Hotel Europa on the Adriatic coast – a childhood memory of Urso’s, representing stability and unity in Europe, currently threatened by populism and far-right beliefs.
After Serbia (a critical ground for refugees after the closure of the Balkan route) and Poland (one of the major nationalist country in Eu), Malta will be the meaningful endpoint of this project.
Alex Urso (b. 1987) is a multidisciplinary artist from Italy. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera, Milan. He works predominantly in the medium of collage, assemblage and spacial installation. His works have been exhibited in public and private art spaces such as Estorick Collection (London), Casa Testori (Milan), Zacheta National Gallery of Warsaw – Project Room, BWA Katowice, Monopol Gallery (Warsaw), Institute of Italian Culture of Krakow, Entropia Gallery (Wroclaw), among others.
Unfinished Art Space – run by Margerita Pulè – is a new, independent, artist-run, nomadic space, working with artists to show experimental and contemporary art in Malta.
Grand Hotel Europa by Alex Urso and curated by Margerita Pulè is at Studio 87, Valletta, from 10 – 17 October. It is supported by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Valletta in the context of Giornata del Contemporaneo, and Fairwinds Management, and is produced by Unfinished Art Space.
