Created and directed by Annie Ratti, the Artists' Research Laboratory (CSAV) – former Advanced Course in Visual Arts – is at the core of the didactic activity of Fondazione Antonio Ratti and has been running since 1995. The lab aims at expanding the practical and theoretical knowledge of visual arts, encouraging young artists from across the world to push the boundaries of art-making through an experimental approach. Detaching itself from traditional teaching methods, CSAV offers a unique experience that focuses on improvisation, debate and growth.

Approximately 20 artists of all nationalities are carefully selected by a jury every year and invited to reside in Como for about 3/4 weeks in July. Together with the guest artist, selected to lead the program, the artists create and set-up an experimental workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to enable a dialogue between the participants and the surrounding environment, whilst broadening and deepening their knowledge of visual arts. This experience includes conferences and meetings with artists, critics and experts in a variety of disciplines, along with theoretical debates with the curators of the workshop.

All the activities of the CSAV are documented in bilingual publications.

The artists invited to participate at CSAV were:
Joseph Kosuth (1995), John Armleder (1996), Allan Kaprow (1997), Hamish Fulton (1998), Haim Steinbach (1999), Ilya Kabakov (2000), Marina Abramović (2001), Giulio Paolini (2002), Richard Nonas (2003), Jimmie Durham (2004), Alfredo Jaar (2005), Marjetica Potrč (2006), Joan Jonas (2007), Yona Friedman (2008), Walid Raad (2009), Hans Haacke (2010), Susan Hiller (2011), Liliana Moro (2012), Matt Mullican (2013), Tacita Dean (2014), Yvonne Rainer and Andrea Kleine (2015), Renée Green (2016), Hannah Black, Michael Dean, Russell Haswell and Karl Holmqvist (2017), Christina Mackie (2018), Ei Arakawa and Nora Schultz (2019), John Knight (2022), Hilary Lloyd (2023).

Curators of the programme to date:
Kasper König (2019), Lorenzo Benedetti (2016), Emanuela De Cecco (2015), Simone Menegoi (2013–2014), Andrea Lissoni (2011–2012), Cesare Pietroiusti (2007–2011), Anna Daneri (2006–2010; assistant and coordinator from 1995 to 2011), Luca Cerizza (2008), Roberto Pinto (2004–2007), Giacinto di Pietrantonio (1995–2004), and Angela Vettese (1995–2003).

Associate directors of the programme until the present moment:
Gregorio Magnani (2017–2024), Lorenzo Benedetti (2017–2024).