“Hand/Eye: Language in Fragments, Art in Dialogue”: «“Two artists, one city, and a shared curiosity about language, place, and connection.” »
In June 2025, artists Benjamin Savi and Aia Sofia Coverley Turan joined us at Circolo Scandinavo for a residency, preparing for their upcoming exhibition at Lateral Roma, opening in September/Fall 2025. The gallery, an independent project space, is a partner of Circolo Scandinavo.
During their stay, we spoke with them about their artistic practices and the ideas behind their joint exhibition. While in residence, Benjamin also worked at Litografia Bulla—the oldest still-active printmaking studio, originally founded in Paris and now based in Rome.
“Hand/Eye” brings together the distinct yet interconnected works of Benjamin Savi and Aia Sofia Coverley Turan. The exhibition explores transformation from form to language, the dissolution of linguistic structures, and alternative modes of communication. The title references hand-eye coordination—an intuitive, fundamental process through which we learn, perceive, and articulate meaning. Through sculpture and print, Savi and Turan examine the interplay between gesture, erasure, and legibility.
Based in Copenhagen, Benjamin (a printmaker) and Aia (a sculptor) both undertook a residency at the Danish Academy in Rome in 2023. Though they arrived with separate projects, their time in the city evolved into a shared exploration—sparked by conversations, encounters, and the pull of Rome’s independent contemporary art scene.
“There was a different rhythm here,” says Benjamin. “We found communities that welcomed us in a way we hadn’t experienced before. It sparked something.”
Their upcoming exhibition at Lateral Roma emerges from this evolving dialogue. At its core is language—its fragility, its fluidity, its failure—and how art opens other ways of connecting, especially when verbal communication feels limited or out of reach.
Aia’s sculptural practice includes performative, tactile works made from oversized chalk—fragile, porous columns that invite interaction and contemplation on how language is learned, lost, and reshaped. She also creates miniature architectural “monuments” within matchboxes: portable, personal symbols of memory and identity.
She reflects on her time at Circolo Scandinavo:
“There was a lot of space to actually work, which isn’t always the case in a new environment. It felt safe and open—and the garden allowed me to approach the process differently, without being shaped by walls or ceilings.” — Aia
Benjamin works with lithographic postcards that blend nostalgia with lived experience. Influenced by Rome’s layered realities—between tourist ideals and everyday life—his prints are altered with scribbles, coffee stains, and marks of the present.
“It’s about collapsing timelines,” he says. “Bringing the myth of the eternal city into a busy Tuesday morning in a family home.” — Benjamin
Their collaboration doesn’t aim to merge into a single unified piece but instead thrives on overlapping ideas, shared research, and parallel explorations. The exhibition becomes a space to ask questions—about language, identity, and what we carry with us when we move through different contexts.
Hand/Eye will open September 12, 2025 at Lateral Roma, an independent exhibition and project space fostering dialogue with both local and international artistic communities. The exhibition will be accompanied by a workshop and a publication, extending the conversation beyond the gallery into a shared learning environment.
Curated by Ginevra, Hand/Eye invites audiences into a space of reflection, exchange, and open-ended inquiry.
Text och bild: Hanna Nåls