An artist’s studio-house, conceived by and for artists since 1991.
Palmira Estudios was founded in 2019 as a collective project, conceived as a home where artists, researchers, and educators working in contemporary art could share and develop their projects.
The beginning: a house designed as a studio
This studio-house, built in 1991, began with a love story. Ernesto Pesce —printmaker, draftsman, and painter— and Mariana Schapiro —sculptor— first built their own studios: spaces conceived from the outset as workshops, rather than adaptations of pre-existing structures.
The name and the neighborhood
Julián Pesce, born in 1988 —one of the three children who also pursued a career in art— decided to name Palmira Estudios after the oldest living being in the house: a century-old palm tree dating back to the time of Quinta de los Vascos, as the neighborhood was once known, before it became known as Chacarita —a deformation of “chacra” (small plot of land) and its diminutive, “chacrita.”
At that time, Elcano Avenue was still a stream; neither Chacarita Cemetery —which would open in 1871 in response to the yellow fever epidemic that struck the city— nor Federico Lacroze station yet existed.
The expansion
In 2019, Julián carried out an expansion that gave rise to Sala Nube, the brightest space in the studio. It has hosted exhibitions and educational courses, and has also served as a working studio, a photography studio for documenting artwork, and a space for artist residencies.
Julián Pesce (1988) lives and works in Buenos Aires. His work is featured in Volume XIII of Historia General del Arte Argentino, published by the National Academy of Fine Arts, and has been recognized as being of Cultural Interest by the Buenos Aires City Legislature. He has presented ten solo exhibitions and participated in group and solo exhibitions in Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, the United States, Spain, Georgia, Russia, and China. His work is held in public and private collections.
Designing a space to share processes, learning, and opportunities for production with other creators is essential to the development of his practice. Looking ahead, we aim to continue building bridges between artists, researchers, and curators at both national and international levels.
