Artistic ferments in contemporary art are particularly evident in informal artistic practices. These practices contribute significantly to artistic innovation (Sharon, 1979; Blessi et al., 2011), but also reshape spaces and communities, especially in formerly vibrant industrial areas (Grodach, 2011; Borchi, 2017; Zilberstein, 2019; Morea and Sabatini, 2023). Artists and creative professionals reimagine places in creative ways that often lack established reference models and, in some contexts, institutional support (Lenna et al., 2020). Following Ostrom's theory on the commons (1990/2012), artistic informal practices have been examined through the lens of the cultural commons, where communities collectively reclaim and redefine shared spaces through art (Borchi, 2018). Given that a cultural commons is defined by the confluence of three phenomena, namely culture, space and community (Santagata et al., 2011), this article explores how culture, space and community are developed, challenged and sustained in these practices.
In order to provide an empirical basis for the discussion of this issue, this paper analyses the case of 'Associazione Bastione', a group of independent artists based in Turin who began as squatters in Cavallerizza Reale, a historic building occupied by artists and cultural workers from 2014 to 2019. Despite a lack of support from the local government and the cultural ecosystem (nearby museums, the university, etc.), the artists developed practices of care for the space and the surrounding urban communities through artistic practices, initiating processes of urban regeneration.
The analysis can provide insights into how these practices can develop a common-oriented approach to culture prioritising long-term community engagement over short-term commercial profit, and thus creating cultural ecosystems that can adapt to change over time.
