VISITORS WILL BE WELCOMED BY PETER HALLEY’S RED CARPET
The 18th edition of ArtVerona was presented yesterday at Teatro Filodrammatici, Milan. The event is scheduled at Veronafiere 13-15 October, with an invitation-only preview on 12 October. The event, moderated by journalist Nicolas Ballario of Sky Arte, was attended by: Federico Bricolo, President of Veronafiere, Raul Barbieri, Sales Director of Veronafiere, Stefano Raimondi, Art Director for ArtVerona, Giovanni Bonelli, Vice President of ANGAMC, Patrizia Nuzzo, Curator in Charge of the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection of the Verona Gallery of Modern Art, Elena Forin, Curator and VIP Manager of ArtVerona, and Marco Curina, entrepreneur and collector (comments by speakers at the end of this Press Release). Under the art direction of Stefano Raimondi, ArtVerona 2023 will confirm its status as the elective venue for promoting the Italian art system and also consolidate its hands-on vocation through careful selection of the galleries taking part and its ability in promoting dialogue between collectors, institutions and entrepreneurs. All the more, partnership with ANGAMC – the National Association of Modern and Contemporary Art Galleries and historic supporter of the event show – is stronger than ever. An extremely articulated VIP programme will also accompany ArtVerona as one of its distinctive features: As a long-standing and friendly platform for relationships between exponents of the art system, ArtVerona this year will develop an interesting itinerary inside and outside the show itself, to reveal new experiences and ideas for an increasingly broader and more diversified audience.
ADVISORY BOARD
One of the main aspects of this new approach is also evident in ArtVerona’s advisory board, comprising Antonio Coppola, Giorgio Fasol, Massimo Gazzani and Alessia Zorloni, joined as of 2023 by two new key figures with the aim of defining an even more extensive involvement strategy on the part of industrialists and entrepreneurs in the Veneto Region as well as throughout Italy: Katia Da Ros and Virginia Montani Tesei.
EXHIBITION SECTIONS
The Show will host 6 exhibition sections welcoming 135 exhibiting galleries, joined in turn by publishers and non-profit spaces. The Main Section attended by highly qualified realities from Italy and abroad will now also be flanked by a number of special areas. Innova focusing on emerging and experimental galleries which will have the chance to exhibit research into contemporary languages with personal or collective displays involving up to a maximum of three artists; Introduction, curated by Hannah Eckstein, director of the Grässlin Collection, St. Georgen, and art director of the Kunstverein Friedrichshafen, will involve six international galleries invited by historic counterparts to present the kinds of exhibition space that have seen their foundation and growth, demonstrating the knowledge characterising the art system is handed down across the generations. Curated by with Giacinto Di Pietrantonio hosts proposals from galleries collaborating with curators to create their stands, thereby highlighting the ways in which the relationship between curators, galleries and artists can develop. The LAB section is for artist residencies and non-profit experimental realities specially selected to showcase the vivacity of these “new entries” on the contemporary scene in Italy. Curated by Giulia Floris, LAB this year also envisages an extension in the city centre itself through dialogue between the inside and outside aspects of the show. Innovations this year include POV – Point Of View, curated by Edoardo Monti – a digital section analyzing the impact of social media and the Internet on contemporary art through a select and varied number of communication exponents in the art macrocosm.
PRIZES & AWARDS
As many as 11 prizes have already been confirmed, thanks to new and consolidated partnerships: collaboration with public and private realities translates into a system designed to acknowledge artistic languages, processes and visions of high quality, while offering a vital asset of contacts, opportunities and resources to support exhibiting galleries and the artists presented. In addition to the A Disposizione acquisition fund and Display – both promoted by Veronafiere – the 2023 Show also welcomes back the A Collection Award, the Montani Tesei Award, the Casarini DueTorri Hotel Award, the MZ Costruzioni Award, the Massimiliano Galliani Award for Under35 Design, the Sustainable Art Prize and the Icon Award supported by the Coppola Foundation in Vicenza. All these are joined by two important innovations: Marval Collection, supported by Marco Curina and Valeria Schäfer, focuses in particular on those voices in artistic research which translate the most pressing questions and issues of our times, thereby stimulating the development of a critical approach towards the present; and stARTup, promoted by collector Nico Sgarzi – a purchase prize specifically for young and middle career artists (up to the age of 50) distinguished by coherent research careers and clearly identifiable language.
RED CARPET
In the wake of experiences with Paola Pivi in 2021 and Stefano Arienti in 2022, Red Carpet returns as one of the most recognizable and identifying projects of recent editions of ArtVerona, again in partnership with Aquafil S.p.A., one the leading players in Italy and worldwide in the production of synthetic fibres from recycled material: this large work of art in the form of a carpet measuring more than 400 square metres welcomes visitors to the Signori Gallery, thereby becoming a meeting platform and an instantly recognizable artistic sign. The protagonist of this year’s Red Carpet is Peter Halley (New York, 1953), an international artist whose involvement is part of a constant process to grow the event by attracting leading figures in contemporary art.
HABITAT
Following last year’s success, Habitat confirms its format as a cultural project dedicated to great Italian artists in history, conceived as the creation of full-immersion spaces capable of generating engaging models of fruition while offering visitors an unprecedented viewing experience. The show halls will host two Habitat events, one dedicated to Gianni Colombo and the other to Marinella Pirelli. The project was set in motion thanks to the essential cooperation of the Gianni Colombo Archive and the Marinella Pirelli Archive. It also seeks to emphasise the vital importance that Archives have for the protection, valorization and promotion of essential figures in Italian art. In an ideal itinerary embracing the city of Verona itself, and with a view to close collaboration between entities that generate and promote culture in the area, ArtVerona and the Civic Museums of Verona with the Achille Forti Gallery of Modern Art present with curators Patrizia Nuzzo and Stefano Raimondi an exhibition project by Giulio Paolini named Et in Arcadia Ego. The Gallery of Modern Art – which with this collaboration seeks to highlight its status as a dynamic institutional reality capable of giving expression and form to contemporary languages – has chosen Paolini, one of the best-known and internationally accredited Italian artists, as the figure who has most focused his research around the correlation between space, work and user.
TALK-CABARET
Nicolas Ballario, a contemporary art expert, the face of Sky Arte and voice of Radio Rai, will take charge of Cabaret, the Talk Programme that this year turns the concept of meetings at art shows on its head: no longer conferences exclusively for insiders but appointments with an almost theatrical flavour narrating the story of contemporary art. There are three kinds of “cabaret”: 25-minute speaking marathons where people taking part will have just two minutes each for a fast presentation of a book, a museum or an exhibition; one against all where “very particular” characters will be put on trial by the art world and vice versa; the LIVES performance, conceived by musician Rodrigo D’Erasmo, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and member of Afterhours, and Ballario himself, bringing the life of an exponent of contemporary art to the stage with words and music. After the success of the appointment last March dedicated to Maurizio Cattelan, there will be two “Lives” scheduled for ArtVerona evenings. Il Giornale dell’Arte is Cabaret’s media partner.
EXHIBITION CENTRE FORMAT
Visiting Curators, curated by Maria Chiara Valacchi, involves directors and curators of museum institutions all over the world to prompt dialogue between the Italian and international art systems. It will also play an active role revealing the sections and stands at the art show and joining the selection juries of the most prestigious prizes promoted by ArtVerona. ArteMuseo is the three-year project, now at its second edition, conceived and developed by Elena Forin. It is in direct continuity with the positive impact of LEVEL0, the format specifically for collaboration between the various figures in the art system – shows, museums, foundations, galleries and artists. ArtMuseo brings together 4 Italian museums and foundations to provide effective exhibition opportunities to four artists presented at ArtVerona. To achieve all this, the Art Show will allocate funds to provide institutional support for the selected artists. Standchat, curated by Saverio Verini, is a format that allows visitors to enjoy vis-à-vis meetings with the leading artists attending the art fair on the stands of the galleries representing them.
ART&THECITY
The cultural programme in the city centre this year is a chance to launch new challenges, approach new audiences and give voice to new artists. In addition to Giulio Paolini’s Habitat project set up in Palazzo della Ragione, Castel San Pietro will also host TOMORROWS – Notes on the Future of the Earth. This project by the Cariverona Foundation, curated by Jessica Bianchera and Marta Ferretti, sees collaboration between ArtVerona, Cariverona Foundation, Contemporanea – University of Verona, Urbs Picta and other national and international partners. The aim is to put forward cross-disciplinary thoughts in the field of ecology and sustainability as a way of tackling issues such as the interconnection between living beings, biodiversity, socio-cultural dynamics and the interaction between humans and the environment, as well as to explore sustainable alternatives to current extractive dynamics. ArtVerona’s cultural programme reaches out into various areas and suburbs, and even to the outskirts of the city: on Thursday evening, we ensure visibility once again for Veronetta, home to the University of Verona where historic buildings are currently undergoing restoration. The collaboration with the new E.ART.H cultural hub continues alongside the Theatre ArtVerona event, the showcase for productions and workshop of excellence offering space for experimental work.
PRESENTATION – COMMENTS BY SPEAKERS
Federico Bricolo, President of Veronafiere “ArtVerona celebrates the important milestone of 18 editions: over this time, the Show has created a precise identity that has helped it grow and make its name in the Italian panorama of events promoting the Italian art system. The exhibition also consolidates the relationship with the business world thanks to the synergies that Veronafiere generates with the other events in its portfolio, such as Vinitaly, Marmomac and Fieracavalli. All these events are characterized by the attendance of companies and buyers interested in creative interplay with art or investing to expand their collections. Lastly, ArtVerona is an occasion for cultural projects and growth of immense prestige for the local area, which is directly involved through institutions and our shareholders who play an active part in organizing this distributed event for living experience in Verona, a UNESCO World Heritage City.”
Raul Barbieri, Sales Director, Veronafiere: “ArtVerona continues to expand, in terms of the selection and quality of the 135 galleries taking part and its cultural offering. We were keen to focus on the Italian art system through galleries, starting from modern times and paying special attention to the new generations of artists and the more experimental realities we wish to support through the various prizes available and Veronafiere’s own acquisition fund, confirmed and increased this year. In keeping with the incoming logic characterizing our exhibitions, more than 6,000 VIP collectors and professionals were invited to attend ArtVerona, 600 of whom hosted directly by Veronafiere: these figures are respectively by 1,000 and 100 higher than the 2022 edition thanks to more investments set aside to develop the event.”
Stefano Raimondi, art director for ArtVerona: “This year’s edition aims to strengthen its relationship with the local area, from a cultural and entrepreneurial point of view, as well as build synergies between national and international operators. Every year, ArtVerona emphasises attentive selection of galleries so that consolidated relationships can be built over time, thereby becoming a landmark for collectors, while new galleries are also added every year to diversify and enrich the offering.”
Giovanni Bonelli, Vice President of ANGAMC-National Association of Modern and Contemporary Art Galleries: “The relationship between ANGAMC and ArtVerona continues to grow. The event is both a point of arrival for young galleries opening up to the market and, at the same time, a qualified starting point for new projects. Constant debate and dialogue between ANGAMC and ArtVerona means we can consider galleries not only as customers but as authentic partners for growing together.”
Patrizia Nuzzo, Curator in Charge of the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection at the Verona Gallery of Modern Art (GAM): “As of this year, the Gallery will team up with the Habitat format,” she explained, “with ‘Et in Arcadia Ego’ – a new project by Giulio Paolini. Essentially, the desire is to reconnect the threads of a design project with ArtVerona that came into being from its inception and which today takes shape through a collaboration unfolding in more dynamic terms as well as rewarding interconnection with the various players in the art system. Yet Habitat is also a delightful opportunity for GAM to investigate, on an historic-aesthetic level, that fundamental passage in the history of art that occurred in the early 1950s – inaugurated by Lucio Fontana with his large arabesque of light for the grand staircase of the Milan Triennial evoking the slipstream movement of a torch vibrated in the air – and then went on to definitively and radically modify the concept of space in favour a “lived” environment dimension, elevating the artistic event to a total ambit capable of cancelling the physical space of traditional architecture. From this standpoint, Giulio Paolini was chosen by GAM as an artist who expresses the meaning of Habitat with extreme analytical rigour; his research embraces that complex and problematic series of key concepts that belongs to the contemporary world.”
During the presentation in Milan, a message was read sent by Marta Ugolini, Councillor for Culture and Tourism-City of Verona, who was unable to attend in person: “Verona City Council, through the Department of Civic Museums with the Achille Forti Gallery of Modern Art, has proactively collaborated in ArtVerona’s initiatives in the city for many years. It does so in the conviction and the certainty that integrated and collaborative concepts, such as the one developed with Veronafiere, are ideal for promoting contemporary art among all citizens and not just among connoisseurs and insiders. The installations of Contemporaneo Non-Stop The Breath of Nature and Habitat, the ArteMuseo 2022 and Icon 2022 awards consequently create opportunities for meetings and situations, together with innovative and provocative aspects that will certainly make us think.”
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