MEDUSA, LA GORGONE
Art Prize 2026 – III Edition
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Livorno, Italy | Fondazione d’Arte Trossi-Uberti
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23 July – 9 August 2026
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Deadline: 14 July 2026
The third edition of MEDUSA, LA GORGONE Art Prize will take place from 23 July to 9 August 2026 at the Fondazione d’Arte Trossi-Uberti in Livorno, Italy.
Hosted in the historic setting of Villa Trossi, the exhibition unfolds within a space where architecture, garden, sculpture and artistic memory coexist. Built in the late nineteenth century and surrounded by a Mediterranean park, Villa Trossi has long been connected to the cultural history of Livorno. Today, as the seat of the Fondazione d’Arte Trossi-Uberti, it continues to serve as a place for artistic education, cultural activity and contemporary exhibition practices.
Within this context, MEDUSA, LA GORGONE Art Prize 2026 – III Edition continues the project’s investigation into mythology, body, identity, memory, gaze and transformation.
This year’s curatorial line, Il Ritorno dello Sguardo / The Return of the Gaze, reconsiders Medusa not merely as a mythological figure to be seen, named or demonized, but as an active gaze: a symbol of awareness, resistance and self-definition.
The open call welcomes artists, duos and collectives from all countries, working across painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video art, digital art, textile art, mixed media, performance documentation and other contemporary practices. Selected artists will participate in the official exhibition in Italy and will be eligible for the MEDUSA Art Prize awards.
Participation may include:
·Physical Exhibition in Italy
Selected artworks will be presented within the exhibition space according to the curatorial plan and installation conditions.
·Official Exhibition Certificate
Each selected artist will receive an official certificate issued by the organizer.
Digital Catalogue Inclusion
Selected artists and artworks may be included in the official digital catalogue of the exhibition.
·Online Exhibition Visibility
Selected works may be presented through ISOLART GALLERY’s official online platforms.
·Opening Reception Invitation
Selected artists will be invited to attend the opening reception and related exhibition events.
·Awards and Recognition
Artists may be considered for official awards based on the curatorial and jury evaluation process.
·Media and Communication Support
The exhibition will be promoted through selected official channels, including website, social media, and exhibition-related communication materials.
·Artwork Sales Collaboration
Where applicable, ISOLART GALLERY may support selected artists in artwork promotion and sales communication during or after the exhibition period.
Awards & Jury Recognition
Selected artists will be eligible for the official awards of MEDUSA, LA GORGONE Art Prize 2026 – III Edition.
The award structure will include:
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MEDUSA Grand Prize
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First Prize
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Second Prize
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Third Prize
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Outstanding Visual Award
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Honorable Mention
The final number of recipients will be determined by the jury according to the quality, diversity and curatorial relevance of the selected works.
Application Requirements
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Submit up to 3 standout pieces, together with an artist statement and a short biography.
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Please note that not all submissions will receive written reviews. Our critics will select the works that resonate with them.
Artwork Size Limit
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All artworks must be no larger than 1 m × 1 m.
Open Call Submission Fees (non-refundable):
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€35 for 1 artwork
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€45 for 2 artworks
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€55 for 3 artworks
Exhibition Introduction
The third edition of MEDUSA, LA GORGONE Art Prize will take place at the Fondazione d’Arte Trossi-Uberti, housed in the historic Villa Trossi Uberti in Livorno, Italy.
Located in the Ardenza district, Villa Trossi Uberti is one of Livorno’s significant historic villas. Built in the late nineteenth century, the villa reflects the cultural and architectural atmosphere of the city’s southern coastal area, where private residences, gardens and artistic life developed between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century.
The history of the villa is closely connected to the Trossi and Uberti families. Corinna Trossi and her husband Dino Uberti shared a profound interest in art, collecting and painting. Through their legacy, the villa gradually became more than a private residence: it became a place of artistic memory, education and cultural transmission.
Villa Trossi Uberti
Corinna Trossi and her husband Dino Uberti shared a strong interest in art. Through Corinna Trossi’s bequest, the villa and related assets were donated to the Municipality of Livorno, leading to the establishment of the Fondazione d’Arte Trossi-Uberti in 1959. Today, the villa continues to host art courses, exhibitions and cultural programmes, preserving a dialogue between historical memory, artistic training and contemporary creation.
Within this historical setting, MEDUSA, LA GORGONE Art Prize 2026 – III Edition continues its exploration of mythology, body, identity, memory, gaze and transformation.
Chiesa di Ognissanti
Dino Uberti was an Italian art collector, painter and cultural figure of the twentieth century. Born in Zumaglia, near Biella, in 1885, he received both legal and artistic training before gradually dedicating himself more fully to painting and collecting.
Although he was not a professional artist by career, Uberti developed a mature artistic practice and showed a deep sensitivity toward the contemporary art of his time. He frequently studied works exhibited in Milan, Florence, Turin, Brussels and Livorno, and in 1945 presented around twenty of his own paintings at the Bottega d’Arte in Livorno.
As a passionate collector, he gathered important works from Lombard-Piedmontese, Venetian and Macchiaioli painting traditions, including works associated with artists such as Cremona, Segantini, Chialiva, Nono and Giovanni Fattori. Together with his wife Corinna Trossi, Dino Uberti played an important role in shaping the artistic legacy that later became connected to the Fondazione d’Arte Trossi-Uberti.
From Villa Trossi to MEDUSA
Installation view from previous editions of MEDUSA Art Prize
The historical and artistic legacy of Villa Trossi offers a meaningful context for the third edition of MEDUSA, LA GORGONE Art Prize. As a place shaped by collecting, painting, education and cultural exchange, the Fondazione d’Arte Trossi-Uberti provides more than an exhibition venue: it offers a living environment where historical memory and contemporary artistic practice can enter into dialogue.
In this setting, MEDUSA becomes more than a mythological image. The figure of the Gorgon is reinterpreted as a symbol of transformation, visual power and self-definition. Through the dialogue between the villa’s historical atmosphere and the language of contemporary art, the exhibition invites artists to reconsider how images, bodies and identities are seen, represented and transformed.
Installation view from previous editions of MEDUSA Art Prize
MEDUSA, LA GORGONE Art Prize is an international contemporary art prize and exhibition project dedicated to supporting artists whose works explore mythology, body, identity, memory, transformation and contemporary visual language.
Now entering its third edition in 2026, the project continues to build a platform for international artistic exchange in Livorno, bringing together artists from different cultural backgrounds, disciplines and visual languages.
Through exhibition, awards, documentation and public presentation, MEDUSA aims to create a dialogue between historical imagination and contemporary artistic practice, offering artists an opportunity to present their work within an international cultural context in Italy.
Installation view from previous editions of MEDUSA Art Prize
Il Ritorno dello Sguardo / The Return of the Gaze
The 2026 edition focuses on Il Ritorno dello Sguardo / The Return of the Gaze.
Medusa has often been remembered as a monstrous figure, an image to be feared, named or silenced. In this edition, she is reconsidered as an active subject: not merely someone who is seen, but someone who looks back.
Her gaze becomes a metaphor for awareness, resistance and transformation. It questions imposed identities, challenges stereotypes and reclaims the possibility of self-definition. Through this theme, the exhibition invites artists to explore how contemporary art can transform vulnerability into presence, silence into visual language, and myth into a critical space for the present.
The project welcomes works that engage with mythology, the body, identity, memory, silence, transformation, social perception, symbolic violence, resistance, rebirth and the power of images.
Installation view from previous editions of MEDUSA Art Prize
Installation view from previous editions of MEDUSA Art Prize
Installation view from previous editions of MEDUSA Art Prize
Installation view from previous editions of MEDUSA Art Prize
Florence Biennale Synergy
On-site view of the 15th Florence Biennale Awards Ceremony
The Florence Biennale, founded in 1997, is recognized as one of Italy’s three major art events, alongside the Venice Biennale and the Milan Triennale. As an official partner of the 15th Florence Biennale (The Sublime Essence of Light and Darkness), ISOLART curated an independent curatorial unit within the main exhibition hall of the Fortezza da Basso, presenting an immersive artistic scenario in which sculpture, painting, photography, and other media resonated and converged through the works of six significant artists from China and abroad. Half of the participating artists received major official Biennale awards, including the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” and “Leonardo da Vinci” prize series, and the project was further honored to win the “Lorenzo il Magnifico Gold Medal for Sculpture” (first prize in the sculpture section).
Coverage of previous editions by leading international art magazines
As one of the most influential contemporary art publishing platforms worldwide, Flash Art has long followed and supported the Florence International Annual Art Exhibition. Since the inaugural edition, the exhibition has attracted broad attention and discussion. It has not only drawn active participation from artists around the world, but has also received strong recognition from leading authoritative art publications internationally. FLASH ART has produced in-depth feature coverage for each edition, publishing dedicated articles that establish a professional communication channel for global audiences—helping participating artists build verifiable international visibility assets.