The Goldoni Theater in Livorno is preparing to celebrate the 180th anniversary of its inauguration with a project dedicated to the relationship between architecture, natural light, and contemporary art. The “Carlo Goldoni” City Theater Foundation of Livorno has launched an international call for entries titled “180 Years of the Goldoni Theater – The Theater of Light,” aimed at creatinga site-specific contemporary artwork dedicated to the grand vaulted canopy that overlooks the theater auditorium.
The canopy is one of the defining architectural elements of the Livorno theater and represents a design feature rarely found in historic European theaters. The project invites artists, collectives, and curators—regardless of age or nationality—to explore the relationship between the Goldoni’s architecture and the natural light that floods the auditorium. Applications must be submitted by November 1 , 2026. The complete call for proposals and instructions for participation are available on the project’s dedicated website.
“With this project, we want to open the theater’s doors to artists of all backgrounds and disciplines,” says Massimiliano Mautone, executive director of the “Carlo Goldoni” Teatro della Città di Livorno Foundation and creator of the project. “The goal of this initiative is simple: to give space to the imagination and to the importance that light holds in this place—and that it holds, every day, in our lives as well. This, after all, is the essence of the Teatro della Luce.”
Designed by architect Giuseppe Cappellini, the Goldoni Theater was inaugurated on July 24, 1847. Its auditorium is crowned by a veil-like vault supported by a framework of iron beams, considered one of the most significant examples of Italian iron-and-glass architecture. The functioning of this structure and its relationship with light were the subject of a technical-scientific study led by architect Giulio Camiz, who analyzed how the canopy fragments and diffuses natural light at different times of the day and throughout the seasons.
It is precisely this variable relationship between light, architecture, and time that serves as the starting point for the call for proposals. The design must engage with the history and characteristics of the Goldoni Theater, reinterpreting the relationship between the auditorium and the canopy without compromising its integrity. The proposal must therefore engage with an existing architectural structure and with the transformations of natural light that alter its perception over time.
Entries will be evaluated by an international jury chaired by Vincenzo Farinella, scientific director of the Civic Museums of Livorno, and composed of Andrea Lissoni, artistic director of the Haus der Kunst in Munich and former senior curator at the Tate Modern in London; Cristiana Perrella, director of MACRO—Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome and former director of the Luigi Pecci Center for Contemporary Art in Prato; and Luca Salvetti, mayor of Livorno and president of the Goldoni Theater Foundation in Livorno.
The selected artist or group will receive a fee of 15,000 euros, while the Foundation will provide a production budget of up to 20,000 euros, allocated for the creation and staging of the work and managed directly by the Foundation. Production and staging are scheduled for July 1–22, 2027, while the opening will take place on July 24, 2027—exactly 180 years after the opening of the Goldoni Theater.
At the end of the exhibition, the work will become a permanent part of the Foundation’s collection. The project thus also envisions a new way of experiencing the theater, conceived as a space open to visitors during the day, where the building’s historical heritage is brought into dialogue with contemporary artistic exploration.
 |
| Livorno’s Goldoni Theater is celebrating its 180th anniversary and has launched a call for entries for a work about light |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
IT
FR
DE
ES
CN
