During his three-month residency at A4, and in close proximity to District Six, Gian Maria Tosatti prepares a prologue for his project while negotiating the shadow of the location's history of forced removals, and the possibilities that emerge from this intersection. This research contributes towards a trio of exhibitions in three museums in Europe: La Galleria Nazionale (Rome, Italy), the FRAC Grand Large – Haute France (Dunkerque, France) and the De la Warr Pavilion (Bexhill-on-Sea, UK). As an example of Tosatti’s long-term engagements, in France, his project New Men’s Land focuses on the ‘Jungle of Calais’, a city founded and built by refugees and migrants and European citizens in the north of France. Having worked in the city for a year, Tosatti recognised it as an exemplar of integration – people of widely different origins living together – and a vision of a new Europe seemed palpable. Yet the French government later destroyed the city in its entirety, erasing every trace of its existence (even artificially changing the landscape of the area).

His time exploring an archive of artworks on-site at A4 results in his curation of an intuitive selection under the title Nowhere – No we’re – Now here, including Gerhard Marx, Sabelo Mlangeni, Santu Mofokeng, Jo Ractliffe, and James Webb.

Searching for a location in District Six, Tosatti finds a disused church awaiting renovations, for his major installation My Hart is so Leeg soos 'n Spieël.

Tosatti’s residency is made possible by the generous award from the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Italian Cultural Institute in South Africa.