Arte in Situ in Vodnjan brings artists together at Casa Rosina: final exhibition announced for 28 May
The eighteenth edition of the international art symposium Arte in Situ is being held from 25 to 28 May 2026 in the Casa Rosina venue in Vodnjan. According to the organizers' announcement, this year's program continues the long-standing tradition of bringing together artists from Croatia and abroad, with an emphasis on creating in a shared space, exchanging experiences and direct contact with the audience. The symposium ends on Thursday, 28 May, with a vernissage at 6 p.m., when the works created during the artist residency will be presented to the public. Organizer Solidea Guerra and the Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan, listed as co-organizer, invite visitors to view the works and meet this year's participants. Since the program takes place as part of Vodnjan's cultural offer, visitors coming to the town because of the exhibition may also find accommodation offers in Vodnjan useful.
An artist residency that turns the town into an open studio
Arte in Situ is described in public announcements as an art colony and an international artistic meeting that temporarily turns Vodnjan into an open studio. According to information from the Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan and Istria's tourism portal, the colony brings together artists from different backgrounds and, through work in the town, creates a space of creative energy, dialogue and cultural exchange. Such a format is important because the artistic process does not remain closed behind studio doors, but develops in an environment in which authors talk to one another, observe the methods of other participants and compare different aesthetic approaches. In the announcement of this year's edition, the departure from the isolation of one's own studio is highlighted precisely as one of the symposium's central ideas. Over several days, artists develop their own themes, but at the same time share the same space, rhythm of work and experience of staying in Vodnjan.
According to the submitted announcement, the symposium was launched in 2004 by the artist Solidea Guerra. Over the years, it has grown into a recognizable cultural meeting that has brought together more than 200 artists from Croatia and abroad. Earlier media records state that in its beginnings the event was conceived as a ceramics meeting, and later expanded to other artistic genres. This development explains why today's edition of Arte in Situ is not tied to a single technique or discipline, but includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking and mixed media. In practice, this means that the final exhibition does not present only the results of one style or one school, but a cross-section of different artistic signatures created within the same temporal and spatial framework.
This year's participants come from Croatia and Austria
According to the media announcement, this year's edition includes Elisabeth Melkonyan from Austria, as well as Boris Kačić, Snježana Pokos-Vujec, Nela Marušić, Dunja De Martini, Vesna Kuharić-Ternovec, Solidea Guerra and Boris Roce. The participants work in different disciplines, from painting and sculpture to ceramics, printmaking and mixed media. The diversity of techniques is precisely one of the reasons why the symposium has the character of an interdisciplinary meeting, and not merely a classic group exhibition. In such a model, artists do not arrive with a completely closed concept that is merely presented to the audience, but during their stay they develop works in encounter with the space, other authors and the local atmosphere. The final presentation is therefore also an insight into the process that took place during the residency.
The list of participants shows that this year's edition is focused on connecting the domestic art scene with the international context. The participation of an author from Austria gives the program an international dimension, while the larger number of Croatian artists emphasizes the continuity of local and national presence in the project. According to earlier announcements about the event, Arte in Situ has also brought together artists from different countries in previous editions, thereby giving Vodnjan the role of a meeting place, and not merely an exhibition location. Such an approach is especially important in smaller communities, where cultural events often have a dual role: they enrich the public program for residents and visitors, while at the same time strengthening the visibility of the place on the cultural map of the region. In the case of Arte in Situ, that visibility is built through continuity, personal artistic contacts and the recognizable space of Casa Rosina.
Casa Rosina as the center of the meeting and final presentation
Casa Rosina in Vodnjan has already been mentioned in earlier announcements as the space where editions and final exhibitions of Arte in Situ are held. Glas Istre stated in its report on last year's edition that works created as part of the colony are traditionally presented to the public precisely at the final exhibition in the setting of Casa Rosina. In the context of the event, this space is not only an exhibition address, but also a place for artists to meet, talk and present the process that precedes the finished work. This year's announcement emphasizes that on 28 May the audience will be able to view the works created during the residency and meet the authors. In this way, the final program is shaped as an exhibition, but also as an open encounter with artists, which is important for events that seek to bring contemporary art closer to a wider audience.
In tourism and cultural announcements, Vodnjan is often presented as a place of strong identity, a historic core and rich cultural heritage. In such an environment, an artist residency gains an additional layer of meaning because the works are created in a space that itself carries visual, architectural and social stimuli. Earlier announcements of the event pointed out that artists find inspiration in the beauties of Vodnjan, and then transfer them into their own works. This year's edition also continues that line, but without a set theme that would limit the authors. According to available information about previous editions, freedom of theme and technique was an important part of the colony's concept, allowing participants a personal approach and an authentic artistic response.
From individual work to collective creation
The distinctive feature of the Arte in Situ symposium is not only that it brings artists together, but the way in which it organizes their shared time. The submitted announcement highlights conversation, experimentation, mutual inspiration and knowledge exchange as integral parts of the program. This is a model that differs from an exhibition in which the works have already been completed before arriving in the gallery space. Here, the emphasis is on staying, process and sharing a creative everyday life. Over several days, artists can compare techniques, change initial ideas, react to the works of other participants and develop new directions that might not have emerged in solitary studio work.
Such a format also has value for the audience. When visitors come to the final exhibition, they encounter not only finished objects or paintings, but the results of a process that took place in a shared space. The announcement states that the goal of the symposium is not only the production of new works, but the creation of a space for open artistic exchange. This is particularly important in contemporary cultural practice, in which the process of creation, the context of the work and communication among authors are increasingly valued. Arte in Situ thus retains the classic element of an art colony, but expands it toward a residential and interdisciplinary model in which dialogue is as important as the final exhibition.
Continuity lasting through eighteen editions
According to the organizers' announcement, through eighteen editions Arte in Situ has become a special artistic experience in which participants are enriched not only by creating new works, but also by spending time together. The number of more than 200 artists who have participated in the program over the years shows that the event has a stable network of participants and international contacts. Earlier texts about the colony confirm that it is a program held in Vodnjan year after year and that it is publicly recognized as one of the cultural contents connecting the town with the international art scene. This continuity is important because cultural events often depend on the persistence of organizers, the availability of space and the support of the local community. In the case of Arte in Situ, the longevity of the project has become part of its identity.
In this year's edition, that continuity is seen in the renewed connection of artists of different generations, disciplines and experiences. Solidea Guerra, as the initiator of the symposium, is also one of the participants, which further emphasizes the authorial and organizational character of the project. Boris Roce, who is mentioned in earlier announcements as one of the artists connected with the organization of the colony, is also among this year's participants. This continues the link between artistic work and organizational commitment, which is a frequent element of independent cultural projects. Such events are not created only through administrative planning, but also through the personal energy of artists who create conditions for meetings, collaborations and public presentation.
The final vernissage is open as a meeting with the authors
The final vernissage has been announced for Thursday, 28 May 2026, at 6 p.m. at Casa Rosina in Vodnjan. According to the organizers' announcement, visitors will be able to view the works created during the residency and meet this year's artists. The final exhibition has an important role because it summarizes several days of work into a single public presentation. It simultaneously closes the residential part of the program and opens a space for communication with the audience. For visitors, this means an opportunity to see newly created works, but also to learn more from the authors about the ideas, materials and procedures behind the exhibited pieces.
The program fits into the broader picture of cultural events in Vodnjan, which through local events and manifestations seeks to connect heritage, contemporary art and the tourism offer. The official pages of the Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan regularly publish events in the town area, and within that framework Arte in Situ stands out as a program with an international character and a long-standing tradition. For the local community, such events mean additional cultural activity outside standard tourist contents. For artists, they represent an opportunity to work in a new environment, and for the audience, a possibility of direct encounter with authors and contemporary visual art practices.
Art as a space of connection
This year's Arte in Situ continues to affirm the idea of art as a space of connection, reflection and collective creation. At a time when artistic work often takes place under individualized conditions, such symposiums remind us of the importance of meeting, conversation and exchange. Participants share not only the exhibition space, but also the time in which the works are created, which opens the possibility of spontaneous collaborations and new professional connections. This is precisely where one of the key values of long-lasting art colonies lies: they create networks that go beyond a single edition and continue to live through future projects, exhibitions and personal artistic paths.
For Vodnjan, the eighteenth edition of the symposium represents the continuation of a cultural practice that has built recognizability over the years. According to available information from the announcement and earlier publications, Arte in Situ is not conceived as a mass-format event, but as a concentrated artistic meeting in which immediacy, space and the personal contribution of each participant are important. The final exhibition on 28 May is therefore not only a presentation of works created over four days, but also a public trace of a process in which the local atmosphere meets different artistic languages. After eighteen editions, this combination of continuity and openness remains the central reason why Arte in Situ retains its place in the cultural life of Vodnjan.
Sources:
- Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan – announcements of events and cultural programs in Vodnjan (link)
- Istra.hr – calendar of events and description of the Arte in Situ event in Vodnjan (link)
- Turističke priče – text about the 17th edition of the Arte in Situ art colony and the organizational context (link)
- Glas Istre – report on an earlier edition of the event and the final exhibition at Casa Rosina (link)
- Novi list – archival text about the development of the event from a ceramics meeting toward broader artistic genres (link)