Nel Mezzo
The 3rd Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition in Italy
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Florence | Casa Abitata
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28 May – 3 June 2026
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Deadline: 18 May 2026
Nel Mezzo, meaning “in the middle” or “in between,” presents contemporary art as a space of transition, dialogue, and transformation. The exhibition invites artists from different cultural backgrounds to explore the visible and invisible spaces between identity, memory, geography, language, and artistic expression.
The 3rd Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition in Italy is designed as an international platform for artistic visibility, cultural dialogue, and professional presentation.
Organized by ISOLART GALLERY, the exhibition creates a bridge between artists, audiences, curators, and cultural contexts across countries and regions. Rather than presenting artworks as isolated objects, the project places them within a broader field of exchange, where visual language becomes a form of encounter.
For participating artists, the exhibition offers not only a presentation opportunity in Italy, but also a structured framework for international exposure, official documentation, curatorial positioning, and long-term artistic communication.
Selected artists will be included in the official exhibition program of Nel Mezzo: The 3rd Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition in Italy.
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.
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
Nel Mezzo takes the idea of “in-betweenness” as its curatorial starting point. In contemporary art, the most meaningful forms often emerge not from fixed positions, but from thresholds: between cultures, between memories, between tradition and experimentation, between personal experience and public space.
The exhibition explores how artists respond to the unstable and fluid conditions of the contemporary world. Today, identity is no longer a closed definition; geography is no longer merely a place of origin; memory is no longer a static archive. Instead, they become moving fields of interpretation, negotiation, and transformation.
Within this framework, each artwork becomes a space of passage. It may stand between East and West, image and material, body and environment, silence and expression, history and the present. The exhibition invites viewers to enter this intermediate territory and to reconsider how art can create new forms of connection in a divided yet deeply interconnected world.
The venue of this exhibition is set in the very heart of Florence’s historic centre, on the banks of the Arno River, within Casa Abitata—an architectural complex with centuries of history. Spanning structures from the 13th to the 19th century, the site becomes a stage where contemporary art confronts and converses directly with the city’s millennia of accumulated time.
Piazza Ognissanti — Landscape View by Giuseppe Zocchi (1744)
Casa Abitata is located on Piazza Ognissanti, on the banks of the Arno River in Florence’s historic center—regarded by many locals as one of the city’s most elegant squares. On one side of the piazza stands the Church of Ognissanti (Chiesa di Ognissanti), founded in the 13th century and later rebuilt in the 17th century in Baroque style. The church once housed works by masters such as Giotto, Botticelli, and Ghirlandaio, making it a key landmark in early Renaissance art. Botticelli and Simonetta Vespucci—often called the “muse of the Medici era”—are buried here, and the Vespucci family chapel of the great explorer Amerigo Vespucci is also located within the church.
Chiesa di Ognissanti
Within the Arno riverside district of Florence where this exhibition is situated, the Church of Ognissanti (Chiesa di Ognissanti) stands out as the area’s most significant historical and spiritual landmark. The church was originally founded in the mid-13th century by the lay religious order of the Umiliati, at a time when Florence was still undergoing urban expansion and the rapid growth of artisanal industries. Renowned for their expertise in the wool and textile trades, the Umiliati combined an ascetic way of life with productive labor, meaning that from its very inception the church was closely intertwined with the economic and social fabric of the Arno riverbank.
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Interior of the Church of Ognissanti (Chiesa di Ognissanti)
Since the 15th century, the site has brought together works by artists such as Domenico Ghirlandaio and Sandro Botticelli, including Saint Augustine in His Study, Saint Jerome in His Study, and The Last Supper. Through subsequent relocations and restorations, these works became closely connected with institutions such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Monastery of San Marco, positioning the Church of Ognissanti as one of the key nodes for studying Florence’s Renaissance iconographic tradition.
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Domenico Ghirlandaio, Madonna della Misericordia (c. 1472)
On the opposite side of the square, the city’s contemporary profile is defined by two world-renowned luxury hotels: The St. Regis Florence and The Westin Excelsior, both located here. Facing the Arno River and looking toward the Ponte Vecchio, they have welcomed countless European aristocrats, writers, and cultural figures since the 18th century, and are widely regarded as synonymous with “taste and style.” Extending outward from the piazza, Piazza Ognissanti connects with the Lungarno Vespucci riverbank, the historic Palazzo Giuntini (now home to a luxury hotel), and a series of heritage buildings, forming an urban corridor that combines residential life, artistic culture, and high-end hospitality. Within roughly a ten-minute walk are landmarks such as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Santa Maria Novella railway station, and the Ponte Vecchio—making this one of the rare districts in Florence’s historic center where religious-art heritage, aristocratic palazzi, and contemporary luxury hotels converge in a single, concentrated area.
Palazzo Renz(i) and Palazzo Giuntini
The architectural fabric of Casa Abitata, the venue for this exhibition, can be traced back to the 13th century. With an interior height of approximately 4.5 meters, street-facing display windows, and a relatively intact exhibition axis, it preserves a strong sense of historical space while offering the flexibility and openness required for contemporary display. This architectural context—marked by accumulated layers of time—provides a more charged, site-specific support for contemporary artworks: artistic practice is no longer understood merely as something “shown inside a space,” but rather as a point of intersection with Florence’s urban memory, the everyday life along the Arno riverbank, and the spiritual history embedded in Piazza Ognissanti.
Casa Abitata
Casa Abitata
Casa Abitata
Casa Abitata
Casa Abitata
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.