Open Call: We Are the Flood Masterclass #5 – Sedimenti
Application deadline: 10 August 2026, midnight
Masterclass dates: 3–4 September 2026
Locations: MUSE, Trento, and Castel Belasi, Campodenno, Italy
Eligibility: Artists, critics and curators under 35 of any nationality
Number of participants: Maximum 15
Expense reimbursement: Up to €300
Language: English
The Masterclass
MUSE and Castel Belasi invite applications for Sedimenti, the fifth edition of the WE ARE THE FLOOD Masterclass.
Open to artists, critics and curators under 35, the two-day programme will explore relationships between contemporary art, scientific research and ecological thought. Participants will engage in direct dialogue with Filipino artist Ronald Ventura and independent curator Ruel Caasi.
The masterclass forms part of Ronald Ventura: Luna, presented by MUSE and Castel Belasi as a collateral event of the 61st International Art Exhibition—La Biennale di Venezia.
Sedimenti
Layers of sedimentation tell a human story of waste and consumption. Through this masterclass, MUSE and Castel Belasi shift their attention from water to soil, examining how resources and traces of human activity reveal both the Earth’s deep history and the voracity of contemporary society.
Ronald Ventura: Luna explores the relationship between humans, water and the climate crisis. Through the metaphor of the moon, which governs the tides, the exhibition connects Venice with Malabon in the Philippines—two places united by the vulnerability of their aquatic ecosystems and the importance of the liminal territory between land and water.
Meanwhile, Signal from the Ground, currently presented at Castel Belasi, invites audiences to understand the soil as a repository of natural resources and evidence of human activity.
Drawing on these areas of enquiry, participants will be encouraged to develop new perspectives on how art can interpret and reveal the environmental transformations defining the present era.
About Ronald Ventura
Ronald Ventura is one of Southeast Asia’s most prominent contemporary artists. His practice spans painting, drawing, sculpture, installation and new media, combining popular iconography, colonial histories, contemporary imagery and ecological concerns.
His work has been presented in museums and international collections worldwide.
About Ruel Caasi
Ruel Caasi is an independent curator and cultural manager based in the Philippines.
His practice encompasses exhibition development and international collaborations, with a particular focus on projects that create dialogue between contemporary artistic practices and intercultural contexts.
Eligibility
Applications are open to artists, critics and curators who:
- Are under 35 years old
- Are of any nationality
- Can participate in a programme conducted in English
A maximum of 15 participants will be selected. Selected participants will receive reimbursement for expenses of up to €300.
About MUSE
MUSE is one of Italy’s most visited museums and plays a prominent role in communicating and promoting environmental and scientific culture.
In recent years, the museum has developed an Anthropocene think tank and increasingly engaged with contemporary art. WE ARE THE FLOOD emerged from the urgent need to explore and interpret complex environmental, viral and climate-related issues through artistic practice.
The initiative seeks to foster a shared sense of collective responsibility, generate new awareness of the present and imagine different ways of living.
About Castel Belasi
Castel Belasi – Center for Contemporary Art and Ecological Thought is located in a medieval castle in the Alps, at the foot of the Brenta Dolomites in Val di Non, Trentino.
The municipal institution of the City of Campodenno opened to the public in 2021 and has been under the artistic direction of Stefano Cagol since 2023.
During its first five years, Castel Belasi presented 15 exhibitions featuring more than 100 artists, including Richard Long, Hamish Fulton, Tiago Rocha Pitta, Gianni Motti, Wim Delvoye, Eugenio Ampudia, Gregor Hildebrandt, Ai Weiwei, Erwin Wurm, Mimmo Paladino, Cornelia Parker, Laure Prouvost and Thomas Schütte.
About WE ARE THE FLOOD
WE ARE THE FLOOD is a project by MUSE documented in the publication We Are the Flood: A Science Museum Project to Address the Environmental Crisis Through Contemporary Art, published by Postmedia in 2023.
The project was conceived and curated by Stefano Cagol, artistic director of Castel Belasi and a two-time recipient of the Italian Council award. His longstanding engagement with environmental issues includes exhibitions at the Venice, Cairo OFF, Curitiba and Xinjiang biennials.
Note: This call has been edited for formatting purposes. To read the complete listing and apply, please visit the link below.
