Fondazione Elpis
was founded in 2020 in order to create new spaces
and opportunities
for dialogue
and expression
amongst Italian
and international artists
, with a particular focus on young artists
.
Founded in 2020 by Marina Nissim, entrepreneur and collector, the core of Fondazione Elpis’ mission is the support of young artists. The Fondazione pursues its objectives through the production of exhibitions, residencies, educational activities and projects all over the country. With the aim of involving different audiences and exploring areas outside traditional art circuits, Fondazione Elpis unites worlds that are only apparently distant by intercepting the evolution of expressive languages. The decision to open a new headquarters in Milan – in October 2022 – stems from the projects and collaborations activated in recent years on a national scale. The Fondazione has thus consolidated an ever-widening network, implementing new models of participation and cultural fruition. One example is Una Boccata d’Arte, the contemporary art project that it’s reaching its fifth edition in 2024, organised in collaboration with Galleria Continua and Threes. A nationwide project that involves 20 artists each year in the creation of site-specific installations that can be visited for the entire summer in 20 Italian villages, one for each region.
Marina Nissim has always been active in her work, favouring community, scientific research, culture and education-based projects. She has been collecting contemporary art for 25 years and has long been an enthusiastic creator of exhibitions. Her exhibition projects reflect her desire to bring her travel and knowledge experiences to art enthusiasts, offering them the opportunity to come face to face with the composite and vibrant scene of the contemporary art world.
This is how the exhibition ¿soy Cuba? (October 13th - November 19th 2017, Milan) came about; a testimony to young Cuban artists in turmoil in an ever-changing country. A year and a half later Immersione Libera (April 1st – May 15th 2019, Milan) opened, an exhibition dedicated to a new generation of artists on the international scene. In 2020, Marina Nissim set up Fondazione Elpis and in the same year she started Una Boccata d’Arte. Now in its fifth edition in 2024, Una Boccata d'Arte immediately became an ambitious initiative taking place throughout Italy: a sign of optimism and encouragement for cultural and artistic recovery in Italy, in the middle of the pandemic.
Located in the centre of Milan in the Porta Romana district, between the historic via Orti and via Lamarmora, the new headquarters of Fondazione Elpis find themselves in an independent building. Low rise and made of exposed red bricks, it was built in 1885 as an industrial laundry building for the nearby hospital for the elderly and it was abandoned in the early 1990s.
In this beautiful setting, surrounded by the greenery of the gardens of the Orti Lamarmora block, the headquarters of Fondazione Elpis consists of about 800 square metres in total, spread over three levels that are designed to host temporary exhibitions, workshops, screenings, site specific installations and offices. The gallery can be found on the ground floor, expanding into the gardens on the north and south sides, where outdoor works will be installed, before continuing up to the first floor where there is a large gallery with exposed roof beams and an outdoor terrace. In the basement, built almost entirely from scratch, there are exhibition spaces, a warehouse and workspaces. A new internal staircase in white steel connects the three floors, curving alongside a large exposed lift. The distribution spaces therefore become exhibition spaces, emphasizing a visual and physical continuity. The renovation project, by GioLatis Studio, was designed to keep the industrial nature of the building unaltered, with a conservative approach to volumes, materials and surfaces. The architectural intervention aims to connect the history of the building to the present day, creating an extremely versatile environment for exhibiting contemporary art while maintaining a strong bond with the site and with the original construction systems of the building.
