Olga Panella defends thesis on art in wasteland spaces

Olga Panella is defending her thesis at the Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès within the Laboratoire Lettres, Langages et Arts (LLA CREATIS). Her research, titled ‘Malherbologies des mondes de l’art: Pratiques en friche, réseaux, archives’, explores the relationship between art and wasteland spaces, such as squats, ZADs, and collectively owned sites.

The work examines how these marginal environments—ranging from Toulouse and Marseille to Naples, Berlin, and Montreal—redefine notions of creation, autonomy, and popular archives. The study analyzes the material traces of artists inhabiting these spaces and questions how artistic practices in such settings can reshape the relationship between art, society, and the environment.