With its 47th edition the Bolognese art fair ARTE FIERA also celebrated its 50th anniversary. Herewith, the art trade exhibition is Italy’s oldest still enduring art fair. Already the advertising panels at the entry referred to the foundation year 1974. Inside the exhibition halls, a booth with the enlarged pages of the “Numero zero”, the… (read more)
As outlined previously, during this year’s ART CITY several exhibitions opened earlier, and even more are lasting longer than the days of the ARTE FIERA. Nevertheless, there were various events, which were only accessible until 4th February 2024. Additionally, there were performances, only taking place on Saturday the 3rd, during the day and evening of… (read more)
Stazione di Trieste Centrale (Trieste Central Station) Anna Di Prospero 2022 Digital photography, inkjet print fine art 100 cm x 67 cm Courtesy of Archivio Luce Cinecittà The photography by Anna di Prospero shows a woman in a red dress, running towards a building. As the title suggests, it is the central station of Trieste,… (read more)
With our Artworks of the Month 2023, we had an unintentional focus on photography, though, there also were collages, a sculpture, an installation and a sculptural installation. The presented artists reflected on nature, urbanity, architecture and much more. Besides that, we visited numerous exhibitions of national and international artists. January We started the… (read more)
On Saturday 7th October was the 19th Day of the Contemporary (Giornata del Contemporaneo) in Italy. Promoted by the AMACI (Association of Italian Museums of Contemporary Art), this countrywide yearly event invites not only museums, but also foundations, public institutions, private galleries, artist spaces and studios to show the vitality of contemporary art. We visited… (read more)
Fans Antonella Sacconi 2014 Pigment inkjet printing (Giclée) on Canson Baryta paper 40 cm x 60 cm Edition 1/30 Antonella Sacconi’s black and white photo “Fans” shows a fan-shaped arrangement of panels, widening towards the top. Hence, the title. In grey tones, with black shades the boards ascend from the left bottom to the right… (read more)
Ars Curandi, Beaune (The Art of Caring, Beaune) Elena Franco 2020 Giclée print on Canson Platine Fiber Rag paper 60 cm x 90 cm Edition of 3 With Elena Franco’s photography, “Ars Curandi, Beaune” (The Art of Caring, Beaune), we are looking from a dark room through an open two wing leadlight casement window with… (read more)
MIA Fair (Milan Image Art Fair) 23 – 26 March 2023 Superstudio Maxi, Milan www.miafair.it The 12th edition of Italy’s oldest and most important photo fair confirmed its position with 100 exhibitors (80 % galleries), thereof 30 % from abroad. No matter whether the galleries originated in Italy, Europe (France, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Serbia and… (read more)
Rubik Cube Chiara Dynys 2023 cast glass panes, gold leaf, light, frames variable dimensions The site-specific installation “Rubik Cube” by Chiara Dynys, is a composition of 16 single pieces of the artist’s series “Camini delle Fate” (Fairy Chimneys) on white ground and 14 rectangular colour fields arranged as a chessboard pattern. Over the course of… (read more)
Bologna, Italy 3 – 5 February 2023 www.artefiera.it Back at the traditional schedule and venue, the 46th Bolognese art fair attracted around 50.000 visitors and reached herewith the level of before the pandemic. Once again directed artistically by Simone Menegoi, Italian’s oldest trade show returned after two editions to the ground-based halls 25 and 26,… (read more)
Il Santo che brucia (The Burning Saint) Alessia Rollo 2019 80 cm x 60 cm Analogue photography on fine art photo paper Edition of 5 The photography, “The Burning Saint” by the Italian artist Alessia Rollo shows a hill with people at the left slope, who are passing bundles of brushwood from one to another…. (read more)
superficie #3 (surface #3) Rossana Taormina 2015 Frottage: charcoal on canvas 200 cm x 145 cm “superficie #3” (surface #3) by Rossana Taormina is a frottage with charcoal on canvas. Hence, the picture is in more or less intense shades of grey. The artist placed the canvas on an urban pavement and rubbed the charcoal… (read more)
13 – 15 May 2022 Bologna Fiere www.artefiera.it This year’s art fair ARTE FIERA in Bologna took place in an unfamiliar time schedule. Instead of January, it was once more postponed due to the pandemic. However, finally in May 2022, the oldest Italian art fair opened its doors and re-found its habitual context. The supporting… (read more)
Untitled Greta Schödl 2020 Ink and gold leaf on Carrara marble 34,5 cm x 22 cm x 7 cm The untitled work by Greta Schödl is a piece of white Carrara marble, inscribed repetitively with the word “MARMO” (Ital. marble) in black ink. Every “O” is filled with gold leaf. Formed as a wedge,… (read more)
Intended as revitalisation of the city’s cultural institutions after the lockdown, the postponed ART CITY could take place from May 7th to 9th in Bologna. Traditionally the ART CITY is the accompanying programme for the city’s art fair in January. Due to the pandemic, it was cancelled. Fortunately, it could be carried out now. Including… (read more)
The Pillars of the Earth Virginia Zanetti 2021 print on Canson Baryta 100 cm x 150 cm Edition of 5 + 1 print in 180 cm x 270 cm Virginia Zanetti’s photo “The Pillars of the Earth” is part of an ongoing series with the same name, started in 2016 in India. As in other… (read more)
Anti-Buste en voyage dans le Sud, pas plus de 1 km (Anti-Bust travelling in the South, not more than 1 km) Monique Thibaudin 2020 Two mannequin legs, shoes, shopping bag Ephemeral installation Ca. 150 cm height Monique Thibaudin’s sculpture “Anti-Bust travelling in the South, not more than 1 km” consists of two mannequin legs,… (read more)
21 – 24 January 2021 (mostly longer) www.artefiera.it Due to the pandemic, also this year’s Bolognese art fair had to change its format, like many others. The digital initiative of the Arte Fiera “PLAYLIST” is not meant to be a selling show transferred to the internet, but a virtual meeting-space in contemporary culture. Hence, the… (read more)
www.artissima.art 3 November – 9 December 2020 Already before the final cancellation of this years’ Turin based art fair ARTISSIMA, the organisers decided to change the traditional format due to the pandemic. Early it was planned to relocate three curated sections to a digital platform named ARTISSIMA XYZ. Moreover, “Frenetic Standstill” as part of… (read more)
Since the 18 May 2020, the Italian galleries are allowed to reopen after the shutdown due to the corona-crisis. However, people can be received only upon appointment and have to wear a facemask. Opening receptions are still not allowed. Additionally, the international transport of artworks is still difficult. Despite these difficulties, the galleries continue to… (read more)
Self-portrait with my mother Anna di Prospero 2011 Digital photography, inkjet print on Canson Infinity paper 100 cm x 67 cm Edition of 6 + 2 P.A. The photo “Self-portrait with my mother” by Anna di Prospero shows two women through a window. One woman – in a black and white bouclé blazer – stands… (read more)
Au Coucher du soleil – At Sunset (short version) Patricia Jacomella Bonola 2018 Video (Single-channel digital, colour, sound) 10’ 07’’ Courtesy of the artist Patricia Jacomella Bonola’s video “Au Coucher du soleil” (At Sunset) is the time lapse version of a film with the same name, with a duration of 1 hour, 9 minutes… (read more)
Imago Pietatis, Serie 1 Elena Franco 2019 4 digital prints on Fedrigoni XPER paper, 220 gr 40 cm x 60 cm each, framed Edition of 7 + 1 PDA The series 1 of Elena Franco’s project on the Imago Pietatis (Christ of Pity) consists of four posters. They are showing painted book edges of volumes… (read more)
The Corona-crisis has changed our lives a lot. Many countries have limited public activities; several are almost totally shut-down. Schools, universities and shops are closed. This stop of public life, also affects cultural institutions like museums, art spaces and galleries. Many cultural operators defy this standstill and take it as a challenge to enhance their… (read more)
Love Silvia Levenson 2019 Kiln formed glass 11 cm x 11 cm x 22 cm Edition of 20 pieces Silvia Levenson’s glass sculpture “Love” is a soft pink hand grenade positioned on a round cake plate with pedestal. A transparent glass dome encloses it. On the shell, the word “Love” is written…. (read more)
For the second part of our Art City tour throughout Bologna, we concentrate on the western area of the city centre. Some exhibitions glance at our present, others are going back in history, partly back into archaic times. There are excursions into dream worlds, human or android; forms or colours are featured and our perception… (read more)
Rimediazioni Analogiche (Analogue Remediation) Donatella Lombardo 2015 Installation, mixed media 145 cm x 90 cm x 40 cm (support included) Donatella Lombardo’s installation “Rimediazioni Analogiche (Analogue Remediation)” is a red merchantable typewriter, type Olivetti Valentine with a long white panel of cloth coming out of the platen-roller. Digitally printed on the cloth are… (read more)
Last week, we made some proposals for exhibitions to see during the ART CITY in Bologna, Italy. Now, after the White Night we visited several more venues. Most of them are still open for some time. It is a diverse programme of smaller or bigger shows, where every art lover will find his/her pleasure. For… (read more)
The 44th edition of the Bolognese art fair ARTE FIERA just closed. Time to reflect on this traditional trade show in the heart of the region Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Simone Menegoi, the artistic director for the second time, gathered 155 galleries, thereof 108 in the main section and 47 in the three sections with a special… (read more)
Utopia XXII Inna Artemova 2019 Oil on canvas 170 cm x 240 cm The oil painting “Utopia XXII” by Inna Artemova is part of her series “Future Structures”, where she reflects on prospective living and working environments, which might be united in one single space. “Utopia XXII” shows two sets of freely floating square-shaped boxes… (read more)
Urban Platform burned Valeria Vaccaro 2018 White Carrara marble, ink 80 cm x 60 cm x 15 cm “Urban Platform burned” by Valeria Vaccaro is seemingly a ready-made: a used and singed EUR-pallet, which has even the trademark of the European Pallet Association (EPAL). Nevertheless, the size is different. The standardised tool for goods… (read more)
In a second tour, we visited six more exhibitions of the autumn season in Bologna. Most of them are still ongoing. Although the variety of artists and techniques is comparable to the exhibitions of the first round, the presented shows are more minimalistic in the second part, self-evidently with exceptions. Galleria de’ Foscherari: Mario… (read more)
Galleria Continua Via del Castello 11, San Gimignano https://galleriacontinua.com 28 September 2019 – 6 January 2020 The solo exhibition “Paradise Lost” by Moataz Nasr, curated by Simon Njami carries us into an oriental world in a transition stage between tradition and modernity. Composed by oeuvres in different media, it shows the large range of… (read more)
Agnese Purgatorio & Francesco Di Giovanni MLB Maria Livia Brunelli Gallery Corso Ercole I d’Este 3, Ferrara, Italy www.mlbgallery.com in cooperation with Podbielski Contemporary (Milan) www.podbielskicontemporary.com 4 October – 16 November 2019 For the double personal exhibition “Mondi Migliori” the MLB Home Gallery and Podbielski Contemporary has selected two artists, who questioned earlier… (read more)
After the summer break, there are various new exhibitions in Bologna on view. There are different artists with diverse techniques and subjects. Nevertheless, the exhibitions have in common that they invite to pause and to contemplate the objects to discover them deeply. Goethe-Zentrum: Bauhaus Reloaded 1919-2019: Architettura Bauhaus 1919-1933 Spazio Testoni: Human Places Magma… (read more)
Black Out 2 Ester Grossi 2018 Acrylic on canvas 120 cm x 100 cm Courtesy Spazio Testoni, Bologna, Foto Giulia Mazza Ester Grossi’s painting “Black Out 2” is a composition of four geometric shapes on black ground, which overlap each other partially. The upper diagonally red lined field could be described as rectangle with rounded… (read more)
Contemporanea 2 Via Ugo Foscolo 6, Florence, Italy www.c2contemporanea2.com 23 July – 31 August 2019 Once again, Antonio Lo Pinto invited an external gallerist to curate an exhibition in his Florence based gallery Contemporanea 2. This time Didier Devillez came from Brussels and brought oeuvres by the Canadian, in Tokyo based photographer and filmmaker Tim… (read more)
Galleria Enrico Astuni Via Iacopo Barozzi 3, Bologna www.galleriaastuni.net 25 May – 28 September 2019 Summer break in August In his solo exhibition, Where do we go from here? in the Bolognese Galleria Enrico Astuni, Christian Jankowski questions about the relation between artist and audience, both, in the traditional physical contact and the virtual way… (read more)
MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna Sala delle Ciminiere Via Don Minzoni 14, Bologna www.mambo-bologna.org 8 June – 8 September 2019 With the exhibition Julian Charrière. All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere. the MAMbo invites the visitors to plunge into the submarine world and to pop up from time to time to… (read more)
This years’ pavilion of New Zealand of the 58. Venice Biennale in the Palazzina Canonica is housing an installation by Dane Mitchell. The exhibition is curated by Dr Zara Stanhope and Chris Sharp. The heart of the work is an inventory of over two million items, naming bygone phenomena, ranging from dead words to extinct… (read more)
To start the 58th Venice Biennale, the curator Ralph Rugoff, conceals the entrance of the Central Pavilion with clouds of fog by Lara Favaretto (Thinking Head). The vapour makes not only disappear the building, but is also the expression for smoking brains of thinkers in an undisclosed location. Veiling, disappearance as well as making things… (read more)
From 22 to 25 March The Mall in the Milanese quarter of Porta Nuova Varesine was the platform for the ninth edition of the MIA PHOTO FAIR. This Italian art fair is dedicated to photography and moving image, however it was dominated by still pictures. The 135 exhibitors outlined a wide-ranging insight into the… (read more)
Door, NY, 1986 Betty Zanelli 1986 Collage Graphite, oil pastels, acrylic and newspaper on sketching paper 25 cm x 19 cm The collage “Door, NY, 1986” by Betty Zanelli shows a door ajar. In contrast to the background, which presents the bare paper and the sketched spatial environment with black pastels, the front of the… (read more)
BolognaFiere Piazza Costituzione Bologna www.artefiera.it 1 – 4 February 2019 The 43rd edition of the longest running art fair in Italy, was for the first time guided by its new artistic director Simone Menegoi. Even though, he had only six months to prepare the exhibition, he succeeded to give a new momentum to attract… (read more)
Even at the age of 89 years, Greta Schödl still continues to create. Her range of techniques is very large; however, scripture and gold are particularly prominent in her work. We met in her apartment in Bologna, where we spoke about her background, artistic career and oeuvre. Astrid Gallinat: Your father was veterinarian… (read more)
Il Primo Universo (The First Universe) Greta Schödl 1980 Oil and gold leaf on French canvas Signed on the verso 216 cm x 160 cm The painting “Il Primo Universo” (The First Universe) by Greta Schödl shows an asymmetrical accumulation of golden dots and lines on a blue irregular ground. Slightly right from the… (read more)
Nella clandestinità (Living clandestine) Agnese Purgatorio Courtesy Podbielski Contemporary Milano 2013 Digital collage Ink-jet on Canson Infinity Baryta, di-bond, framed Edition 5 + 2AP 90 cm x 120 cm The digital collage “Nella clandestinità” (Living clandestine) from 2013 by Agnese Purgatorio shows people standing on a map of Italy. This map seems to be… (read more)
The current exhibitions for the season start are naturally various: by age and origin of the artists, techniques and intensions and depending on the type of gallery. Nevertheless, there are some formal or thematic links between some shows. At the end of this article, you’ll find a list of several Bolognese exhibitions, a lot with… (read more)
On 27 June 2018, the Italian artist Giovanni de Gara had done his first installation of his series “Eldorato” at the Florentine church of San Miniato Al Monte. He covered the church portals with golden thermal blankets. The installation itself is very poetically. Nevertheless, it was discussed controversially. In an interview, Giovanni explains the background… (read more)
On the newest generation of artists in Italy and one meter and eighty from the border. MAMbo (Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna) Sala delle Ciminiere Via Don Minzoni 14 Bologna www.mambo-bologna.org 22 June – 11 November 2018 On 21 June, the MAMbo opened this year’s summer exhibition “That’s IT!”. The show is the first… (read more)
