GROUND CONTROL
curated by Elisabetta Roncati
GROUND CONTROL is the title proposed for the public program of The Others 2026, conceived in response to the theme of the 15th edition, Temporary Stop. Forms of Permanence in a Space of Passage.
The Lancia Car Park is not considered merely as the venue for the fair, but as the starting point for the program: a place where people arrive, stop, wait, meet others, and then set off again. GROUND CONTROL turns these everyday actions into opportunities to talk about art, hear different perspectives, and directly involve those visiting the fair. The program is therefore structured around three complementary formats: small-group conversations, a collection of questions from the public, and a daily open event. In this way, the audience does not simply attend, but enters into the dialogue and helps shape it.
“PASSENGER SEAT”
THE FORMAT A small-scale roundtable designed to encourage direct exchange between guests and the public. Guests converse with a maximum of ten participants. A moderator is always present: introducing the topic, guiding the discussion, and ensuring that the conversation remains open and accessible to everyone. During the conversation, participants can ask the guests questions directly: they are not spectators, but active participants in the dialogue.
Participation by reservation.
“LEAVE A QUESTION”
THE FORMAT Every visitor is invited to write down a question, a doubt, or a position about the present state of art. Some questions will become the starting point for “Passenger Seat,” while others will be put directly to the guests of the talks. In this way, the fair also shapes its program through the voices of those who visit it.
“DON’T CALL IT A TALK”
THE FORMAT Daily public meetings devoted to talking about art.
Friday, October 30, 2026
3:00 PM
WHERE DOES A COLLECTION BEGIN?
with Andrea Savino (Cultural Economics and Art Advisory Expert)
Passenger Seat
Collecting art is about more than simply buying a work. How do you recognize a work with which you can build a relationship over time? What budgets and criteria can you start from? And who should you ask for advice before making a purchase? A conversation for anyone wishing to approach contemporary art collecting, offering practical guidance on research, trust, the market, galleries, and the care of artworks. The art advisor answers questions from those looking to start a personal collection, even if they are not yet collectors.
5:00 PM
IT’S NOT JUST A PHOTOGRAPH
with Max Falsetta Spina, (Visual Artist | Photographer | Set Designer | Designer | Creator of Parametric Photography), Galleria Faber
Don’t Call It a Talk
Photography is everywhere today, but what space does it still occupy as an artistic language? A conversation between artists working with the medium and galleries supporting their research, exploring the transformations of the contemporary image: from photography as document to constructed image, from the unique work to reproducibility, and ultimately to its relationship with digital circulation and the market. What do we ask of a photograph today? And how does this change the way we exhibit, look at, and collect it?
Saturday, October 31, 2026
4:00 PM
isolation caved in. I adore you
A talk presented by Fondazione Merz as part of the TUTTOLIBERO project
with Davide Sgambaro (visual artist), Giulia Gaibisso (curator, IUNO Studio, Rome), Virginia Lupo (curator, GAM, Turin), Giovanni Giacomo Paolin (curator, Panorama, Venice), Caterina Taurelli Salimbeni (curator, MACRO, Rome), Giulia Turconi (curator, Fondazione Merz, Turin)
Don’t Call It a Talk
Davide Sgambaro’s practice develops around the contradictions of contemporary precarity, investigating the forms of isolation, invisibility, and disillusionment produced by today’s social and economic dynamics. Through installation, sculpture, video, and performance, the artist creates situations in which the body withdraws from view, presence emerges through its traces, and disappearance becomes a possible mode of existence. Solitude is not merely an individual condition, but also a reflection of a system that fuels competition, ambition, and isolation, making it increasingly difficult to imagine alternative forms of connection. Within this space of tension, the figure of the ghost emerges as an image of a precarious and elusive identity: a presence that endures precisely through its absence. The talk explores how these questions run through Sgambaro’s artistic practice, examining the limits of visibility and representation and the possibility of imagining artistic practices grounded in withdrawal, vulnerability, and unexpected forms of proximity.
The event “isolation caved in. I adore you” is part of Davide Sgambaro’s research project of the same name, supported by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture through the Italian Council program (14th edition, 2025).
5:00 PM
FROM AN IDEA TO AN EXHIBITION
with Alisia Viola (art curator and project manager)
Passenger Seat
How does an exhibition come into being, and which people make it possible? A conversation for artists, emerging curators, and professionals who want to understand how an exhibition project is developed: from the initial idea to the dialogue with spaces, from relationships with artworks to writing a proposal. Alisia Viola discusses the role of the curator today and the collaborations behind an exhibition, including the role of the art manager. Participants will be able to ask direct questions about their own paths and about concrete ways of turning a project into an exhibition.
6:00 PM
WHEN A SPACE BECOMES PUBLIC
with the Biennale del Colore Team
Don’t Call It a Talk
Events, festivals, and artistic practices can temporarily transform a square, a building, or a neighborhood into a place of encounter. But what makes a space truly public? A conversation with Andrea Cairati, founder of the Biennale del Colore, and Fucsina on the relationship between art, cultural programming, and the city: how do you create an event capable of activating a territory, engaging different communities, and leaving a trace beyond the days of its program?
Sunday, November 1, 2026
3:00 PM
AI: WHERE DO YOU START?
with Federica Sutti (artist and industrial designer)
Passenger Seat
Artificial intelligence is already a working tool for artists, curators, and creatives—but how can it be used consciously? A conversation designed to address practical and critical questions, from creative possibilities and the limitations of these tools to issues of authorship, copyright, and ethics. Federica Sutti leads an accessible conversation for those starting from scratch, leaving room for participants’ questions and for concrete cases they wish to bring to the table.
5:00 PM
READ OR SCROLL?
with Alessandro Trapezio (artist) and Claudia Grande (author and writer)
Don’t Call It a Talk
Art books, catalogues, magazines, independent publications, newsletters, and digital platforms: in a present dominated by fast-moving images and a constant stream of content, what does it still mean to publish? A conversation with Team LibroKilo and 89books on the state of contemporary publishing, the challenges of distribution and financial sustainability, but also the need to create spaces for in-depth exploration, criticism, and research.
At the heart of the meeting is the presentation of Power, Corruption & Lies, Alessandro Trapezio’s new monograph published by 89books. Through more than fifty portraits of women, the photographic project explores the representation of the female body, the gaze, and the relationships between desire, power, and image. The book also reworks the device of the fold-out poster, transforming it from an object of display and appropriation into an editorial form and a space for reflection. An opportunity to consider how a book can still be a cultural act—and an act of taking a position.