Some cities have already decided to apply, some have merely announced their intention (Syracuse, Pesaro), others have already set to work (Trieste, Piacenza, Viterbo, Norcia), whilst others are already well advanced and even have a bid logo. At the forefront is Turin, which even has an operational structure headed by a director. This is Agostino Riitano, former Project Manager Supervisor for Matera 2019, and director of several Italian Capitals of Culture such as Procida and Pesaro.

Just in the last few days, Turin has published a call aimed at involving citizens and artists in the drafting of the bid dossier.

Ensuring that Turin’s bid dossier for European Capital of Culture 2033 is shaped by the contributions of the city’s residents and neighbourhoods. This is the aim of ‘L'Europa è di Casa’, a project involving two open calls: one to select eight international artists willing to work not in front of an audience, but alongside it, and to give artistic form to collective creativity and vision; and a second aimed at citizens who wish to play an active role in the project.

The initiative has been conceived by Torino 2033 as part of the bid for European Capital of Culture and is organised and promoted by the Network of Neighbourhood Centres in collaboration with the Fondazione per la Cultura Torino, BJCEM – Biennale des jeunes créateurs de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée, and the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti di Torino.

The eight selected artists will lead eight groups of citizens – a representative sample of Turin’s inhabitants, diverse in terms of background, education and age – in the creation of eight artistic and cultural proposals, which will form part of the official bid dossier. One of the central ideas behind Turin’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2033 is, in fact, that citizens should not be passive recipients, but co-authors, bearers of a vision that the artists are called upon to transform into aesthetic language and design form.

The local centres involved are the eight ‘Case del Quartiere’ centres spread across eight different areas of the city (Bagni Pubblici in Via Agliè, Barrito, San Salvario, Officine Caos, Casa nel Parco, Cascina Roccafranca, Cecchi Point, and Più SpazioQuattro). Each selected artist will work in tandem with the staff of the Case, who will ensure the project’s roots in the local community and the continuity of the process.

“We have chosen to build Turin’s bid through a structured process of listening to and engaging the city’s cultural and civic community, recognising that citizens play an active role as bearers of experiences, needs, aspirations and visions. Our aim is to shape a shared process capable of strengthening bonds, participation and civic imagination.

Within this framework, the European dimension represents a concrete space for dialogue between differences, for the exchange of practices and for collective creation. The decision to involve emerging international artists is aimed at placing contemporary languages and communities in a vibrant and generative relationship, highlighting the role of neighbourhoods as places of creativity, co-design and vision,” said Agostino Riitano, director of the Turin 2033 European Capital of Culture bid.

Applications from artists, including a CV, a portfolio featuring at least three to five documented participatory projects, and a cover letter, must be submitted by 6 April 2026 to the following email address: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo..

Artists will be selected by 20 April and will work with local residents from May to September 2026.

Residents interested in taking part may register by 15 April via the website, or by contacting their local community centre.