Baroque Blue Art & Nature Residency 2026 (5th Edition)
Theme: Olive Tree Path: Biodiversity and Landscape
Curated by Dores Sacquegna
Santa Maria al Bagno, Nardò, Puglia, Italy
September 19 – October 3, 2026
Primo Piano invites you to join the fifth edition of its Baroque Blue Art & Nature Residency, an intimate gathering shaped by creation, reflection, and connection. Set along the luminous coastline of SANTA MARIA AL BAGNO, where the sea is not just a view but a presence, this residency unfolds as a space to listen more deeply—to your practice, to others, and to the quiet stories held by the landscape.
This residency offers more than a retreat—it is a space for reconnection, reflection, and creative awakening. It is an invitation to return to yourself, to reconnect with the land, and to create from a place of depth, presence, and truth. Olive Tree Path: Biodiversity and Landscape explores the invisible threads that connect us—to the land, to memory, and to each other. Through portraits, landscapes, gestures, and processes, this residency becomes a space to feel, witness, and translate the unseen into form. You will be part of a small, international community of artists, curators, and cultural practitioners, connected through a desire to create with depth, care, and presence. This is an invitation to remember something essential, to create from what has been waiting, and to return—gently, honestly—to yourself and the land.
The territory is characterized and coloured by expanses of monumental olive trees, a heritage of Puglia recognized throughout the world. The number of specimens in Puglia is estimated to be around ten million, and Salento is one of the most flourishing areas. These are true living monuments that have defied the ravages of time, witnesses to our history, repositories of traditions and popular cultures, protagonists of fairy tales, myths, and legends, and a fundamental point of gathering, especially in the darkest moments. These ancient, magical, and enchanted trees have witnessed, recorded, and resisted wars, fires, earthquakes, diseases, climate change, and much more, often still capable of producing valuable oil products.
The starting point is the marina of SANTA MARIA AL BAGNO, a hamlet in the municipality of Nardò, one of the most beautiful places on the Ionian coast of Salento, just a few kilometers from Gallipoli. In this new project, we will discover “the green gold,” ancient paths from the Ionian Sea to Santa Maria di Leuca and real underground cities whose origins are lost in the mists of time and which offer spectacular landscapes steeped in history.
The residency is an experiential project of eco-symbolism and contemporary art dedicated to the symbolic and mythical aspects of the olive tree. Like ancient Nachri (sailor), You will embark on your journey following the routes that will lead them to discover your true Self. A sacred and profound journey to honour your roots and discover who you have been and who you are ready to become.
What We Offer
- Accommodation in the marina of Torre dell’Orso
- A nurturing environment for artistic research and creation
- Curatorial guidance and mentorship
- Opportunities for dialogue and collaboration
- Immersion in local culture, food, and rhythms of life
- Materials/art stuff to work on site.
- Guided tours by land and by boat.
- Village explorations.
- Exceptional dinners with regional wines.
- Printmaking workshop.
- Yoga and sacred feminine sessions.
- Final exhibition during residency.
- Prizes Details: All the best works created during the residency will be displayed in the coming months in a Contemporary Art Foundation in Lecce.
See national and international artist testimonials:
https://baroqueblueresidency.com/en/feedback/
There are still spots available!
To learn more: primopianoexhibition01@gmail.com or primopianorecidency@gmail.com
