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2024 Autumn Residency
23 September - 5 October

ARTE, TERRA, COMUNITÀ IN TOSCANA​

Exploring community building and relational practice through drawing and food culture

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SOPRA SOTTO x MIKIDOU LIFE DRAWING welcomed a group of interdisciplinary creatives to La Tegolaia​

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In October 2024, Constance (SOPRA SOTTO) joined forces with Milena, the initiator of MIKIDOU LIFE DRAWING, to host 'Arte, Terra, Communità in Toscana'.

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“We are not isolated beings, but we exist in relation to others and our world. Our identity and understanding are shaped by these relationships.” - Bell Hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

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It was a truly unforgettable two-week residency in Tuscany, where an all-female group of interdisciplinary creatives (previously unknown to each other) blossomed into a vibrant, ephemeral community where art, nature, and authentic connecting intertwined. Immersed in the beauty of the Tuscan landscape, we built relationships with each other and our surroundings, and created a deeply meaningful experience that will stay with us for long.

 

Milena led transformative workshops on experimental drawing, encouraging us to challenge our expectations and judgments and focus on the joy of creation. The residents themselves hosted their own workshops, sharing their unique methods and inspirations with the other residents which sparked mutual learning. Together, we poured our hearts into collages, poems, drawings, braids and zines, and crafted ouroboros rings for one another. Visits to Florence and the Villa Romana residency enriched us further, blending Renaissance splendor with fresh artistic inspiration.

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The land itself became an integral part of our journey, offering its beauty and elements to inspire and ground us. We hiked through the hills with our senses wide open (except for during the blind-guiding exercise on the very first day, meant to build trust between residents), and foraged ingredients to use in meals and art, and embraced autumn’s sun, rain and winds. Bringing ritual into daily life was integral to the experience, merging moments like tarot and animal spirit card pulling, grape harvesting, a fire ceremony, and a meditative collective drawing using charcoal from the fire we built the night before. This drawing became a profound shared moment, culminating in the ceremonial destruction of the artwork and, days later, the release of its fragments—along with our intentions—into the Arno River.

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Life during the residency was steeped in experiment, simplicity and joy. Morning check-ins fostered transparency, vulnerability and trust, while shared meals inspired by the Tuscan harvest became moments of reflection and laughter. Late nights brimmed with music, dance, and stories, as we delved into conversations on spirituality, myth, feminism, and belonging. These moments became the threads that wove our group into a true community.

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We closed the residency with an open day for the local communities of Pelago and Florence, celebrating what we had created together. From foraged installations to dishes made with found herbs and intimate live music, it was a magical reflection of the past two weeks. This residency wasn’t just about art; it was about creating ripples of connection, transformation, and inspiration—starting with ourselves and spreading outward.

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OUR RESIDENTS  & COLLABORATORS

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Milena Kiourtsidou

Milena Kiourtsidou is a visual artist, initiator and facilitator of MIKIDOU LIFE DRAWING, offering curated events to empower participants to draw freely and intuitively. Through multi-sensory and interdisciplinary performances, it provides an inclusive and safe space for artistic exploration without judgement, creating a mindful and introspective experience. She guides engaged learning processes, holding space for diverse artists to share their work authentically and inspire participants to connect to themselves and the with the diverse performances. Currently pursuing an MA in Education in Arts at the Piet Zwart Institute, she focuses on relationality in education through the process of drawing.

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@mikidou_lifedrawing

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Katarina Juričić

Katarina Juričić is a Croatian visual artist, scenographer, and researcher based in Amsterdam. She is interested in human nature, the relation between symbolism and the collective unconscious, and the power of belief.

 

The strength of the human natural tendency to believe in man-made mythologies to explain the great mysteries of life. At the moment her research is focused on the historical origins of Good & Evil across different cultures, religions, and belief systems. The current medium of her practice is mosaic, an archaic form of image-making and an antipode to digital images and pixels. Photo by Igor Schiller.

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@kat_juri

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Nathalie Ashraf

Nathalie Ashraf is a graphic designer and Kombucha enthusiast from Cairo, Egypt.

 

She has worked on a number of visual identity projects small and large - independent and commercial. She has collaborated with photographers, chefs, dancers, artists and creatives to realize various visions and create work that speaks to her and her community.

 

In addition to design, Nathalie has been nurturing a passion for making kombucha and fermented sodas. This world offers abundant inspiration, fulfillment, and knowledge, serving as a new outlet for her creative curiosities. 

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@nathalieashraf

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Mathilda Frykberg

Mathilda Frykberg (*1987) is a Swedish artist, educated in photography at HDK-Valand. She works with dry pastel drawing, text, video and food. By extending images into physical spaces and engaging the senses her work creates immersive experiences that often incorporate scent and taste.

Her practice is rooted in existential questions and there is a focus on the intersections of art and religiosity, emphasizing the need for contemplative spaces that foster reflection on human existence and our own position in this world. Her work has been featured in exhibitions in different parts of Sweden, alongside editorial projects and self-produced zines.

 

@mathildafrykberg

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Lara Roushan 

Lara is a 27-year-old singer-songwriter from Hamburg, Germany. She writes about a variety of themes such as decision-making, change, sadness, uncertainty, and other topics that arise during this phase of her life.

 

In addition to music, she also creates art zines and edits videos, where she curates text, pictures, or video clips into collages, finding different approaches to similar themes. She enjoys switching between media, as different art forms allow her to explore various aspects of the same emotion.

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@lara_roushan

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Rosalie Kause

Rosalie Kause's art practice primarily focuses on the exploration of shared moments. Unbound by rules or expectations, she aims to bring people closer together by evoking and creating collective memories.

 

While working across various disciplines, she often centers her work on food, dining, and culinary heritage, as food plays a central role in her life. Building on this foundation, she creates moments of togetherness through the making and sharing of her artwork.

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 @rooskause

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Neeltje de Jong

Neeltje works as an autonomous visual artist with a background in dance, textile, and fashion design. Her melancholic-poetic signature is recognizable in various forms of expression.

Her work revolves around movement. Movement of bodies, movement in ritual, movement through story. She learns deeply through the body rather than the mind. Repeatedly moving until it is deeply rooted in her being; an embodied practice. Her goal is to research and further facilitate spaces for women to find what practices bring them closer to their bodily autonomy.

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Clara-Lilian Berger

Clara-Lilian Berger is an artist specializing in photography, currently based in Berlin. Her work focuses on exploring questions of perception and dreams, delving into the spaces between reality and imagination. She is fascinated by the subtle, often overlooked moments in life—fleeting impressions and dream-like fragments that can slip through the cracks of everyday awareness. By superimposing and collaging multiple photographs into a single image, she creates layered compositions that stretch the boundaries of visual reality. At the core of her practice is an ongoing fascination with philosophy, universal emotions, and nature.

 

@claralilianberger

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