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photograph courtesy - Etnia House of Arts
"The rebirth of the Chiesa della Misericordia as a space
for the production of the gaze."
Chiesa dell'Abbazia della Misericordia
Etnia House of Arts - Opening Party Photos
Etnia House of Arts opened with a party after complex restoration in the Chiesa dell'Abbazia della Misericordia during - preview week - of the - Venice Biennale - with a program of
artist residencies, art and culture events. Etnia Eyewear Culture creates a platform for contemporary creation through
residencies, interventions, artistic practices, and public events.
"Over the years we have worked extensively
with artists, to the point of feeling the need to create a space where this dialogue could become
continuous rather than episodic. The Misericordia seemed to us the right place to do so: an almost
kaleidoscopic treasure box where we could activate something that was already present. Etnia House of Arts was born from this idea: to build a context in which vision is not only represented but staged,
activating unexpected relationships".
David Pellicer
CEO and Owner Etnia Barcelona
Maria Luisa Frisa, David Pellicer and Mario Lupano
Casita Bizcocho
Set in the former Chiesa dell’Abbazia della Misericordia in the Cannaregio district, recently restored and reimagined, the project transforms a layered historic site into a space for artistic production, encounter, and experimentation. Dating back to the 10th century onwards the Misericordia carries traces of different periods and functions. It is precisely this nature that makes it an ideal setting today for a new contemporary project. Within this context, Etnia House of Arts takes shape: an active platform dedicated to the creativity of our time, interdisciplinary dialogue, and the building of a temporary community of practices and visions.
The architectural intervention at the Chiesa della Misericordia by Piero Vespignani and Alessia Semenzato of Studio Anfibio preserves and enhances the building’s historical layers, turning a conservative approach into an active dialogue between heritage and contemporary use. Research revealed a more complex history than expected, uncovering significant elements—from the 14th-century wooden roof to decorative traces and a rare Gothic window—highlighting a structure in continuous transformation. The project embraces and connects these layers, including the 19th-century additions, as part of its identity.
Studio Anfibio - Alessia Semenzato and Piero Vespignani
photograph courtesy - Etnia House of Arts
Promoted by Etnia Eyewear Culture — the broader expression of Etnia Barcelona’s cultural research — the project not only reactivates a historic space but redefines it: the Chiesa della Misericordia becomes Etnia House of Arts, a living environment where art is exhibited, produced, and made visible in its making. The program unfolds as an open, continuous device of exhibitions, site-specific interventions, performances, and talks—both independent and collaborative—shaping a space where the temporality of artistic work overlaps with public experience. Canova provided the custom millwork for the renovation including the totem displays units - above - which add elegance and simplicity to the artworks on display.
Michael Gabellini and Bartolomeo Bellati
A central element of the project is the international residency program, in which artists are invited
to work starting from a deliberately unconventional element — eyewear — understood not as a
functional object, but as a surface of translation, a minimal support through which to question the
relationship between vision, identity, and representation. The first two participating artists are
Conxi Sane - above - and Greta Pllana, who, through different languages and sensibilities, develop
interventions capable of expanding the perceptual and symbolic possibilities of the object.
Conxi Sane
Inside
Helmut Pizzinini
The Fence
Ellis Cooper and Chiara Gabellini
