Invitation to join us at Centrale Fies in Dro (Italy) for 41 ACTS by our grads
“Grief was grief, she thought. It was pain and loss and despair—an abrupt end where there should have been a continuing.”
― Dawn
“What if, instead of telling a story about how our species fell from some idyllic state of equality, we ask how we came to be trapped in such tight conceptual shackles that we can no longer even imagine the possibility of reinventing ourselves?”
―David Graeber and David Wengrow, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
AEROPONIC ACTS 2026 ~ DAWN SEEDS
What about sunrise, you asked—light filtered through ash, a sky that remembers too much. There are things to do each day—lavarsi, studiare, giocare—and yet the hands return stained. What about the visions you said were yours and mine? Dreams, then—what are they? Not escape, not consolation, but sleeping seeds, a rehearsal for a world that refuses to be trapped in blinding myths. There are things to do each night—chiudere gli occhi, dormire, sognare. Did you ever stop to notice that the script can still be rewritten, stop weeping long enough to listen. “I suck the wound,” a poet whispers, distance is a fragile illusion. Mettiamo una maglia, someone says—the sun is going away. But in the dark, if we are careful, if we refuse the given ending, visions flare—small, disobedient flames—asking, quietly, what about the dawn?
17, 18, 19, 20, 21 June
Dutch Art Institute & Centrale Fies invite you to
AEROPONIC ACTS 2026: DAWN SEEDS
41 conversations-in-a-form
Each act of 20 minutes offers a question as a practice of engagement.
Esteemed respondents Adam HajYahia, Antonia Majaca, and Zairong Xiang are invited to vibe with the questions and offer their improvised, spoken reflections to help us think through what is embodied and proposed by our 41 graduating students.
The ACTS are curated by Elisa Giuliano who will also introduce us to each of them.
Saverio Cantoni has been invited as the 2026 Guest Writer.
The program is initiated and convened by Gabriëlle Schleijpen.
[scroll for practicalities]
PROGRAM
Wednesday, JUNE 17
11:00–11:20 | Turbina 1
WELCOME+INTRO
11:20–12:00 | Turbina 1
Dimitris Chimonas ~ Sprt!
Click for Dimitris's abstract and question
12:00–12:40 | Comando
Jamie Donald ~ Intelligence poetics
Click for Jamie's abstract and question
12:40–13:20 | Turbina 2
Billie Meiniche ~ great
Click for Billie's abstract and question
13:20–15:30 | LUNCH
15:30–16:10 | Comando
Masha Domracheva ~ 300 bpm
Click for Masha's abstract and question
16:10–17:00 | Turbina 2
Dana Andrei ~ Truth is stable
Click for Dana's abstract and question
17:00–17:40 | Turbina 1
Keit Bonnici ~ Aim and Shoot
Click for Keit's abstract and question
17:40–18:10 | BREAK
18:10–18:50 | Comando
Nanna Stigsdatter Mathiassen ~ dgng
Click for Nanna's abstract and question
18:50–19:30 | Turbina 2
Asmaa Barakat ~ As fragile as it gets
Click for Asmaa's abstract and question
19:30–20:10 | Comando
Magdalena Beliavska ~ You are the echo, I am the choir.
Click for Magdalena's abstract and question
20:10 | DINNER
Thursday, JUNE 18
11:00–11:20 | WELCOME
11:20–12:00 | Turbina 1
Sanna J. Hirvonen ~ MANUSCRIPTS FOR BROKEN HEARTS AND BATTLEFIELDS
Click for Sanna's abstract and question
12:00–12:40 | Comando
Sarmistha Bose ~ Yes, Perhaps, and Afterthoughts
Click for Sarmistha's abstract and question
12:40–13:20 | location tba
Leo Hugendubel ~ superposition/flip
Click for Leo's abstract and question
13:20–15:30 | LUNCH
15:30–16:10 | Turbina 1
Moss Lutz ~ spect-acting direct action
Click for Moss's abstract and question
16:10–17:00 | Bar
Nika Pećarina ~ in the event of afterwardsness
Click for Nika's abstract and question
17:00–17:40 | Turbina 1
Eglè A. Benkunskytė ~ A statement, in my case, is a always a question
Click for Eglè's abstract and question
17:40–18:10 | BREAK
18:10–18:50 | Turbina 2
Patrick Freriksen ~ One Hand on the Bottle, the other writing a Love Letter
Click for Patrick's abstract and question
18:50–19:30 | Turbina 1
Agnese Fieno Spolverini ~ Little, little needle, please become an arrow
Click for Agnese's abstract and question
19:30 | DINNER
Friday, JUNE 19
11:00–11:20 | WELCOME
11:20 –12:00 | Turbina 1
Carlos Azeredo Mesquita ~ Everything. Again and again. Forever. Everything. Again.
Click for Carlos's abstract and question
12:00–12:40 | Turbina 2
Jip van der Hek ~ SeanX - Unlocked, Do u Have What It Takes to Freelance?
Click for Jip's abstract and question
12:40–13:20 | Comando
Sharon Romie ~ whoever names me, breaks me
Click for Sharon's abstract and question
13:20–15:30 | LUNCH
15:30–16:10 | Comando
Henriks Eliass Zēgners ~ Shimmering
Click for Henriks's abstract and question
16:10–17:00 | Outside
Dory Samuel ~ Semi-closed Muscle Chains
Click for Dory's abstract and question
17:00–17:40 | Comando
Sophie Dandanell ~ When the garden speaks does slowness survive?
Click for Sophie's abstract and question
17:40–18:10 | BREAK
18:10–18:50 | Comando
Aimeé Phillips ~ groW(l) oRgan(sssSs) - reve(rrr)berAte - e(ccccc)hO
Click for Aimeé's abstract and question
18:50–19:30 | Turbina 1
Erik Peters ~ Every Breath a Surge
Click for Erik's abstract and question
19:30 | DINNER
Saturday, JUNE 20
11:00–11:20 | WELCOME
11:20–12:00 | Turbina 1
Fagner Lima ~ The pure entertainment TV Show!
Click for Fagner's abstract and question
12:00–12:40 | Comando
Hannah van der Schaaf ~ Bitter Dough
Click for Hannah's abstract and question
12:40–13:20 | Turbina 2
Zhuang Leng ~ A, for after
Click for Zhuang's abstract and question
13:20–15:30 | LUNCH
15:30–16:10 | Comando
Ivor Glavaš ~ All the errors
Click for Ivor's abstract and question
16:10–17:00 | Turbine 1
Liam Warren ~ Abysssmal Opera
Click for Liam's abstract and question
17:00–17:40 | Turbina 2
Olfa Arfaoui ~ Sukūn سكون ــْ
Click for Olfa's abstract and question
17:40–18:10 | BREAK
18:10–18:50 | Orti
Agnese Krivade ~ Ceremony for the rock
Click for Agnese's abstract and question
18:50–19:30| Comando
Ratri Notosudirdjo ~ Diversions, divisons, premonitions
Click for Ratri's abstract and question
19:30 | DINNER
Sunday, JUNE 21
11:00–11:20 | WELCOME
11:20–12:00 | Turbina 1
Tara White ~ Intermission
Click for Tara's abstract and question
12:00–12:40 | Comando
Rana Kelleci ~ Surface Study
Click for Rana's abstract and question
12:40–13:20 | Turbina 2
Javier Rodriguez PerezCuriel ~ Out of sync
Click for Javier's abstract and question
13:20–15:30 | LUNCH
15:30–16:10 | Comando
Ayse Idil Idil ~ the one whose touch I seek
Click for Ayse's abstract and question
16:10–17:00 | Turbina 1
Ginevra Collini ~ cherry picking, out of sight
Click for Ginevra's abstract and question
17:00–17:40 | Comando
Ilja Schamle ~ A Mouth That Is Not Mine
Click for Ilja's abstract and question
17:40–18:10 | BREAK
18:10–18:50 | Comando
Muyang Teng ~ Buoyant Phantom
Click for Muyang's abstract and question
18:50–19:30 | Turbina 2
Despina Sanida Crezia ~ Deep Floods and High Hopes
Click for Despina's abstract and question
19:30–19:45 | OUTRO
CREW MAKING IT ALL POSSIBLE
Production leader: Peter Sattler with the support of Georgia Stellin, Alexandra Martens Serrano & the technical team of Centrale Fies
Video Archive: Baha Görkem Yalim
Instagram takeover: Leire Vergara together with students BiBi & Shiva Yourdkhani
Hospitality: Jacq van der Spek, assisted by Lonneke Pastoor
Chef de cuisine: Sophia Braddel i.c.w. Rowan Beasley, assisted by Holly Taylor
Remote support: Lauren Alexander & Hanna Rullmann, Giulia Crispiani, (design & communication), Georgia Stellin & Hemminkways, Corine van der Wal (finance & logistics)
It is possible for visitors to join us for lunch and/or dinner, but our chefs need to know well in advance! Please make a booking with Jacq van der Spek before June 13th.
Lunch (+water) costs 10€, dinner (+one glass of wine) costs 10€ as well.
Payment in cash only ~ at the venue.
Without timely reservation it is not possible to join our communal meals.
For the AEROPONIC ACTS 2026 the DAI alights once again in the heart of the incredibly beautiful Valle dei Laghi in Trentino, Italy. Our huge gratitude goes to Barbara Boninsegna, Dino Sommadossi, and their team at Centrale Fies for their hospitality and invaluable support. It is their vision and stamina that brings emerging performance artists, researchers and activists together in a space of care, commitment and encouragement. It is an honour for DAI to be welcomed here as a friend.
Centrale Fies, 38074 Dro TN, Italy
Entrance to the AEROPONIC ACTS 2026 is free
“Aeroponic”—root systems nourished by air—is the adjective given by the nomadic Dutch Art Institute to each student's final “act” in the framework of one out of four defining curriculum components. Journeying with DAI leads to many things, among them the accomplishment of an accredited MA in Art Praxis under the auspices of the ArtEZ University of the Arts.
Visit earlier editions of the AEROPONIC ACTS.
Preceding the Aeroponic Acts, our Final First-year Kitchens and Life After DAI coaching sessions will take place on June 14, 15, and 16 at Centrale Fies in Dro. These sessions will feature guests Phanuel Antwi, Rana Hamadeh, Quinsy Gario, Mistura Allison, Raphael Daibert, and Rieke Vos.
Details regarding these non-public days will be available in the upcoming Bulletin#6.
Read more on the DAI website.
DAI shares its deepest gratitude with alumnus Lucas Lugarinho. His evocative 2019 watercolor on paper, Blue Java Banana, became the regenerative seed that brought our DAWN SEEDS campaign to life.