Sole lives in Palazzo Monti sharing her everyday life with the artists in residency, exchanging ideas and following their creative processes
Palazzo Monti is a cultural center hosting a residency, an exhibition place and a private collection founded in 2017. The project founded and curated by Edoardo Monti, a curator and collector from Bergamo, is located in Brescia, Italy. We interviewed Sole Castelbarco Albani, class of 1999, the residency manager of the palazzo. Sole, Edoardo and Luca live inside the palazzo, working side by side with the artists in a fast and dynamic environment where creativity and the exchange of ideas are always on their daily menu. Sole, who is also a curator, curated the latest exhibition at the Palazzo “Entrée [ɑ̃tʁe], featuring the artists Emily Coan, Rosa Lüders, Olivia Sterling.
Kooness: Can you tell me about your role inside Palazzo Monti?
Sole Castelbarco Albani: My official role title is residency manager, but actually it is very hard to describe what I do. It’s me and Edoardo working on all the different projects. As residency manager I have to deal with all the scheduling of the artist who will come here in residency, which means a lot of planning. At the moment, I am already speaking with the artists who will come in November. The scheduling entails a pre-production part, where I get in touch with them to understand their needs by gathering all the materials for their month-long residency. I have to be sure that once they arrive everything has already arrived on-site in order for them to begin working right away if they wish. The artists don’t have to do a minimum or maximum of artworks during their residency, not even necessarily realize a project tied to Palazzo Monti. Of course, the artists who want to make the most out of it, produce a lot of pieces. The residency works a bit like an airbnb I would say, so every month there is a check in and check out moment where we explain how their new home works, the common rules, the spaces and so on. Another crucial aspect of my work is the human connection. Meeting diverse individuals from various backgrounds and all sorts of life stories fills me with immense energy and joy. We are dealing with people, so this is very important. I am always available for them. Moreover, since we are a small team, I follow all the activities that keep the Palazzo moving such as the private collection and archive of Palazzo Monti, the external projects and so on.
K: It's incredible. I found your job so fascinating. Talking about your curatorial role, when is the time you start deciding the theme of an exhibition at Palazzo?
S: Being that it is me and Edoardo, we decide bit by bit about the future exhibitions. This January we decided on the show for February. After that, we have decided to structure this year celebrating the artists in residency by proposing shows with their works. In the past we also had shows with external and external curators. Once we decided to focus on the artists in residency, we started thinking of a way to create a series of exhibitions. Here comes the idea of calling the shows with the names of the courses of a gourmet menu. First Aperitif, Entrée, Digestif. We usually have a show every six weeks, and after that we always create a catalog for our supporters.
K: Tell me about your latest exhibition “Entrée”, why this title?
S: After taking the decision of focusing mainly on our resident artists, we thought of a series that could be fun and at the same time follow a logic. So, we focused on a gourmet menu. I do believe that art and food have so many similarities: the creative process and the end result. For both disciplines there is so much creativity involved and so many possibilities: everyone could cook just as anyone could paint - although it could be said that there are people who are more or less gifted! However, I see how these two disciplines can be closely related since both are characterized by techniques, history, dedication, creativity and so on. The title inspired by a dish from a gourmet menu then pushed me to write an unconventional curatorial text. The text is structured as a recipe to highlight the often overlooked creative process behind an artist's work. Typically, people only see the polished end result in a gallery, but I wanted to emphasize the importance of the journey leading up to that point. This exhibition has been particularly interesting, as it features the work of three women artists: Emily Coan, Rosa Lüders, and Olivia Sterling. Emily and Olivia participated in a residency here in May, while Rosa was here in December. The three of them have very different techniques, Emily did one oil on wooden panel work alongside two charcoal on paper works, Olivia uses acrylics and Rosa works with aluminum sheets. The materials were very different as well, so the idea of making a recipe with the explanation about how their artworks were made was actually fitting perfectly. It's so amusing the way an artwork can change from one week to the other, before it is finished. Getting to know the artists and spending time with them in their studios make me understand very well why and how they create their works and everything makes sense. The exhibition worked well because the conductor wire is actually the difference between them and the different procedures and steps. The psychological part I deal with is very important as well and it is so powerful to connect with the artist I work with.
K: How would you describe your way of curating an exhibition, do you follow any particular scheme?
S: Yes, I follow a method. The first thing I do is to figure out all the diverse deadlines, to organize myself.. Then, I schedule the first studio visit or a call with the artist/s where I ask all the possible questions. It can happen that my calls last for more than two or three hours. Then, of course I will be in touch with them till the very end. For me it is crucial to understand in depth about their research, their intentions and their practice as I want them to appreciate the curatorial text. I want to write about them in the most clear and correct way, so that the public can understand their works easily. Then, based on the space, I select how many artworks to include in the exhibition. The beauty about contemporary art is getting to know the artist as a person. I want to encourage the public to go deeper than just looking at the works hung on a wall. The artists are humans who need to express themselves in different ways compared to the other people in society, thus, I want my texts to be clear: everyone needs to understand, I don’t like to use complicated vocabulary or difficult terms.
K: What is the role of art in society according to you?
S: This is a very difficult question. Art will never stop to exist and I find this aspect amazing. If we think about the caves in Valcamonica, art has always existed. Since the very first times, humans have had the urge to express themselves. I am sure that the art market itself will change, as it has already happened. But art and the art market are two different things. Art has an essential role in society. However, it is a luxury good. Thus, during difficult times, it will take a backseat, but I am talking about the economic value, not the social value. The social value will never stop existing. People will always have the urge to express themselves. Creativity is what drives humanity, it brings innovation and new ideas and it will always reinvent itself. Art brings people together, with no need of words.
Cover Image: Entrée Exhibition at Palazzo Monti. Courtesy of Palazzo Monti.
