Galata – Museo del Mare | Genova, Italy

Galata – Museo del Mare is the largest maritime museum in the Mediterranean. It holds centuries of history of navigation, exploration and migration: stories of departures and returns, of peoples who have met across the sea. Located in the Old Port of Genoa, steps away from the Aquarium, Galata is a living place where historical heritage meets the present, and every visit becomes a journey between memory and discovery.

The museum houses the Nazario Sauro submarine, a reconstruction of a 17th-century vessel, the MEM – Memories and Migrations section, and the new Sala Colombo, a space for critical and plural reflection on the history of great explorations.

THE SPECIAL PRIZE
Galata – Museo del Mare establishes its first Special Prize within Arte Laguna Prize, with the aim of bringing international contemporary art into dialogue with the sea, its stories and its contradictions. The prize is not just a recognition: it is an invitation. An invitation to enter a museum that does not only preserve, but interprets; to engage with an extraordinary heritage and leave a lasting mark.

THEME: Routes – Stories of the sea, departures and connections
The sea has always been the oldest connector between cultures, peoples and destinies. It is the path of discoveries and exchanges, but also the space of separations, forced migrations, and journeys of no return. It is a place of memory and of the future.

We invite artists to freely interpret this symbolic space, exploring themes such as:

• migration as a universal human experience (past and contemporary)
• identity in motion, roots and sense of belonging
• the sea as a meeting and clashing point between civilisations
• navigation as a metaphor for inner or collective discovery
• the bond between humankind and the sea: ecosystem, resource, border

A literal illustration of the theme is not required. Metaphorical, conceptual and poetic approaches are welcome.

Eligible techniques
The prize is open to the following techniques, selected in keeping with the characteristics of the Galleria delle Esposizioni:

• Painting (oil, acrylic, mixed media on canvas or board);
• Photography (fine art print on paper or aluminium);
• Sculpture on pedestal (maximum dimensions: 80 × 80 × 150 cm; maximum weight: 50 kg).

Not admitted: video art, digital art, structural installations, performance, works with perishable or hazardous materials, works requiring permanent wall modifications.

Selection will be based on the following criteria: Depth and coherence of engagement with the theme “Routes”, Technical quality and artistic research, Potential for dialogue with the museum’s spaces and heritage, Originality of approach.

WINNERS

Biffi Luca, Italy (1984)
Capponi Barbara, Italy (1966)
Cascone Laura, Belgium (1972)
Codrea Damaris, Romania (1990)
Costa Christian, Italy (1976)
Duran Melis, UK (1992)
Farrugia Benedetta, Italy (1969)
Goffi Marco, Italy (1969)
Guzzi Alessandro (Elettroverismo), Italy (1997)
Mazzarino Jiménez Susana, Germany (1969)
Lanza Irene, Italy (1974)
Leonardi Gabriele, Italy (1970)
Luciano Lilian, Argentina (1958)
Mattarozzi Alice, Italy (2002)
Naticchioni Rojas Cinzia, Italy (1977)