Palazzina was founded in 2019 by Noemi Pfister and Victoria Holdt at Schweizergasse 2 in Basel and is both an artists' house and a non-profit exhibition space for contemporary art. The members, who are also residents, have come together since its founding to lead the project and create a space that sees itself as a versatile place for exchange, discussion, living, exhibiting and working together.

What is characteristic for Palazzina is an interest in the interweaving of living space and exhibition space. Several exhibition projects that have been realized so far with established and younger positions took place in three different houses—located in Schweizergasse (2019-2020), Alemannengasse (2020-2022) and Baslerstrasse (2022-2024)—, each of which also served as a home for the members.
A non-hierarchical and democratic internal structure for organizing exhibitions, as well as intensive exchange with the invited artists, is the focus of the team's way of working. The exhibiting artists are always invited to live and work in Palazzina - even for longer periods of time. This is where ideas grow and joint conversations and decisions arise in everyday situations and encounters. These intuitive, random, personal and informal exchange moments are an essential and valuable part of the project and shape the hospitable attitude and the constant openness to learning from each other. From the very beginning, site-specific works and interventions developed in every conceivable room in the residential buildings, blurring the boundaries between public and private space.

In addition, a project has emerged that goes beyond the form of this exhibition format. With Palazzina On Foot, the team built a flexible pavilion that can be adapted to a variety of exhibition situations regardless of a fixed location. The aim of this approach is to continually rethink exhibition displays and formats and to enter into dialogue with a diverse audience.

In 2024, Palazzina received the Förderpreis Kunst of the canton Basel-Landschaft 2024.

Förderpreis Kunst Basel-Landschaft 2024, Portrait by Joel Sames