ISOLA COMACINA

At the end of the 1930s on the Comacina Island, the only one in lake Como, three “Homes for Artists” were designed and built by the Rationalist architect Pietro Lingeri.
The houses, whose essential yet somehow unexpected architecture is inspired by the work of Le Corbusier, were designed to initiate a dialogue with the surrounding landscape, and were meant as a hybrid space between a home and a studio.
Within this scenic architectures – now protected by the Italian Superintendence for Architecture and Landscape – the Fondazione Isola Comacina annually organizes an Artists’ Residency program, with the support of the Fine Arts Academy of Brera and the Belgian Flemish and Walloon communities.
The residency program, primarily intended as an occasion for artistic research, puts the artist at the core of a dense system of spatial and artistic relationships, within the frame of an outstanding archaeological site.
From the wild vegetation to the rich archaeological heritage, from the early history of the Island to the architectural traces of a visionary era, from the ‘local’ lake landscape up to ‘universal’ artistic thought: the residency on Comacina Island is configured as a unique and immersive experience for the artist, as well as a valuable opportunity for deepening artistic practice through a diverse range of languages and media.