“My work has always sought to explore the networking of our world – hence my fascination with transport networks and infrastructure – and so Flaminio, this modern-day node on the Roman network, became an important point of focus for me. I sought to develop my work by limiting myself to and inventing three very basic motifs: one for each of Rome’s three Metro lines. I was visited by CASTRO Projects: an experimental artists learning program in the city and invited to take a painting to a group critique in their Trastevere space. A mix of local, national and international artists – some of whom were connected to the various foreign academies –  discussed my work in considerable depth, helping me to further develop the series by abstracting the imagery, upping the personal and creating a more open work with a higher-degree of ambiguity.  The formal end of my residency was an open studio event in which I cleared my studio, creating a white-walled space, allowing me to see my artworks as a cohesive body of work with fresh eyes. Thanks to a diverse and varied group of visitors which ranged from local MFA students to Rome-based curators,  I was able to gain insightful feedback.”

— Michael Coppelov