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FrancoAngeli Journals

Experimental geographies in urban outdoor spaces. Four artistic, playful and co-creative practices

No. 3 (2026)

Creative geographies of care: geo-artistic paths of urban caring by curating

  • Giada Peterle
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/rgioa3-2026oa23552
Submitted
agosto 26, 2026
Published
2026-10-05

Abstract

Is it possible to take care of urban space through geo-artistic practices? This contribution investigates the potential intersections between the geographies of care, the creative turn, and mobility humanities, through the experience of curating an artist residency in the area of the Padua Railway Station. The reflections emerged from fieldwork intertwine with the geographical debate on urban caring, making it possible to bridge the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of ‘caring by curating’ practices. Following through a process-oriented approach the installation of two permanent public artworks, a further reflection emerges on the ‘public’ role of geographies. This role interprets geo-artistic actions as forms of “politics in action” (Hawkins, 2011). The act of ‘curating’ thus becomes a practice of ‘taking care’ of cities and their inhabitants, through context-specific artistic interventions.

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