Concordia: Dialogues on Social Landscapes

Concordia: Dialogues on Social Landscapes

curated by Esther Regueira Mauriz and Lisa Mazza

In a journey that connects the past, present, and future, the project explores crucial themes of contemporary society, posing questions that stimulate innovative and imaginative perspectives. International artists, musicians, philosophers, and artisans will be at the forefront of exhibitions, performances, and workshops hosted in iconic locations in Agrigento. From a workshop at Palazzo Tomasi to reinterpret and re-narrate the history of the region, to an exhibition on the dialogue between past and present to imagine new futures at the Chapel of Santa Sofia; from an international exhibition at the Monastery of Santo Spirito with performances in the evocative cloister to a film festival immersed in the nature of the Kolymbethra Garden. Artists in residence will collaborate with local associations to create site-specific works reflecting the city’s social landscape. The project will culminate in a final publication, documenting this journey through art, culture, and society. Concordia: a space to think, create, and build together.

Do you know the curators?

Curator, art historian, producer, and editor. Esther Regueira holds a degree in Art History and a Master’s in Cultural Management from the Universities of Seville and Granada, and is about to complete her doctoral thesis in Aesthetics and the History of Philosophy at the University of Seville and New York. She has curated specific projects at the Andalusian Center for Contemporary Art (CAAC); been a member of the cultural association Carta de Ajuste; co-founded the label Puerta de la Carne and directed online projects for contemporary culture. She has curated exhibitions for the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; the Museo Extremeño e Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo, Badajoz; Les Musées de Marseille, Marseille; the Fundació Antonio Tapies, Barcelona; Art & Idea, Mexico City; Knitting Factory, NY, and many others.

She was the general coordinator of Manifesta 8 and later appointed a member of the International Advisory Board of Manifesta. From 2012 to 2019, she was Head of Publications at the International Foundation Manifesta (Amsterdam), and for Manifesta 10 at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Manifesta 11 in Zurich, and Manifesta 12 in Palermo.

Regueira has participated in forums, juries, and roundtables, and has given lectures and workshops at various institutions and universities in Spain, the United States, Morocco, Russia, Western Sahara, Italy, and Mexico. She has also contributed writings to numerous publications. Currently, she is a board member of MAV (Women in Visual Arts), directs the publishing house Puerta de la Carne, continues with the Sahara Libre Wear project— a textile art proposal developed in the refugee camps of Western Sahara—and curates Concordia for Agrigento Capital of Culture 2025.

Lisa Mazza lives in Bolzano and is a curator and cultural producer. She earned a Master’s in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths University in London. In 2015, she co-founded BAU, an institute for art and ecology, with Simone Mair and Filipa Ramos. Since 2017, she has co-directed BAU with Simone Mair, developing contemporary art projects that respond to the critical issues of our time. Moving beyond the distinction between nature and culture, BAU adopts an ecological mindset that considers humanity within its environment, viewing both as part of a unified cycle.

From 2014 to 2020, Mazza was a member of the artistic direction of Lungomare in Bolzano. Previously, from 2007 to 2012, she worked as a project coordinator for the European Biennial Manifesta, and from 2009 to 2012, she was the Managing Editor of Manifesta Journal, a curatorial journal published by the Manifesta Foundation until 2012. In 2020, she collaborated with Het Nieuwe Instituut as associate editor and coordinator of the anthology More-than-Human alongside Marina Otero, Lucia Pietroiusti, and Andrés Jaque. Since 2015, she has been a member of the scientific committee of the Fellowship Program Büchsenhausen in Innsbruck.