13/02/2025  

This case study is part of CREARE Social research conducted by Lyudmila Petrova and Matilde Ferrero for GLAMMONS project.

CREARE Social is starting a series of discussions with Associazione Bastione, an independent art space in Turin, Italy, to include them as a case study in their analysis for GLAMMONS project. Bastione’s practice is a powerful example of a cultural and artistic practice that is based on artistic and economic autonomy, long-term personal commitment and collaboration.

In this conversation with ECHN, CREARE explores the key elements that define their practice and the core values they assign to it.

ECHN: Could you describe Bastione’s approach to artistic practice and how it has evolved over time?

CREARE: Bastione’s practice is rooted in mutual collaboration, autonomy, commitment, strong personal bonds and care for the space. The collective is made of 10 visual artists who work across a range of media and disciplines, including performance and music, as part of their grassroots approach. Their work is inherently interdisciplinary, fusing different forms of artistic expression to create immersive one-day events in their space.

From 2017 until 2019, Bastione has reclaimed abandoned spaces in the form of an occupation of the Bastione San Maurizio, the bastion of the Cavallerizza Reale, a historic building in the centre of Turin. Later, after being evicted in 2019, they relocated to a new historic site that they found thanks to social capital, demonstrating both adaptability and a deep commitment to space as an essential part of their artistic practice.

ECHN: What are the key values in their practice?

CREARE: Artistic and economic autonomy is central to Bastione’s identity – as individuals they act autonomously and make decisions collectively, without relying on external funding, i.e. they manage their projects independently.

Another value is care for space: the collective actively restores and transforms its spaces, treating the physical environment as an integral part of its artistic practice.

Last but not least, mutual collaboration is embedded in both Bastione’s daily operations and artistic co-creation. Through regular meetings and brainstorming sessions, each member’s input contributes to governance of collaborative projects. This spirit of collective creation also extends to the blending of different art forms, resulting in work created at the intersection of different disciplines and in conjunction with other artists outside the collective.

ECHN: What can we learn from Bastione’s practice?

CREARE: Bastione demonstrates that it is possible to remain autonomous and connected to the community and its spaces without totally relying on institutional support. Its emphasis on co-creation, spatial care and autonomy offers lessons in how to be autonomous in making art through a set of values and practices that are capable of creating a network of support.

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