Held from 7th to 9th February 2025, the 48th Arte Fiera in Bologna primary presented Italian art from the 20th and 21st century. In these days, 176 galleries welcomed 50.000 national and international visitors. The Main Section was, like always, split in two parts by the locations. Art mainly of the 20th was in one hall and the contemporary part in the other. This separation was not stringent, since several foundations, editors and art academies had their spaces in the more historical hall. Additionally, there was the section “Multipli” and, within the Main Section, several galleries joined the “Percorso”, a choice of curated stands which presented artworks matching the given subject of “Community”.
Admirers of contemporary art found their centre of interest in the neighbouring space. Here the Main Section was garnished with the curated departments of “Fotografia e immagini in movimento” (Photography and moving Images), “Pittura XXI” (Painting 21) and the new “Prospettiva” (Perspective). The latter was dedicated to emerging artists and therefore directed to a possible future art marked. However, also the contemporary painting section was not too traditionally bound to the canvas. This department was curated by Davide Ferri, who will follow the outgoing artistic director, Simone Menegoi. Menegoi was artistic director of the Arte Fiera since 2019. He escorted the art fair through the difficult time of the pandemic and consolidated the oldest Italian art show to a market specialised on Italian art.
A glowing Reception
Directly in front of the entrance, light welcomed the visitor in the “contemporary” hall. Vistamare installed Rosa Barba’s neon “Pensiero Spaziolungo”. While Barba reflects on space, light, time and distance, Marcello Maloberti likes to be lost in thought with his neon “Sovrapensiero”, close to the first one at the Galleria Raffaela Cortese. At the same booth Silvia Bächli unfolds her “Farbfelder” (Colour Fields).
A little bit further, at the stand of Pinksummer, flaunted another neon. It was composed of 285 red elements, which together form the word “Comunista”. The title of Anna Scalfi Eghenter work is “Communio pro indiviso” and refer to Italian law, describing the rules of collective property, where every single owner is a “comunista”. But this is not all: to create the neon, people could buy parts in pre-sale, allowing the production and exhibition of the work.
Greetings from Sicily
The stand of the Quam gallery shined brightly, but without fluorescent tubes. Entering the booth gave the impression stepping on a balcony in sunlight. This effect was achieved by pictures of Federico Severino: abstract, mostly monochrome paintings, primary in yellow and orange shades. So, the gallery from Sicily brought a little bit of the south Italian island’s sunshine to the cloudy January of the north.
Painting as Scupture
Diego Soldà at the gallery Atipografia works with colours as well. In superposing a new layer of tempera colour every day, the artist “builds” rather sculptures than paintings. The series is titled “Geologia della Pittura” (geology of painting) the colour becomes independent of the canvas and is a consistent continuation starting with the impressionists, who gave the canvas a kind of epidermis of colour.
Marco Abbamondi’s pictures at Andrea Ingenito contemporary art are not liberated from the canvas when regarded format and support. Though the artist doesn’t use traditional colours, but pigments and earths from specific locations. Fixing them with cement and cork powder, he creates colourful undulated reliefs, which arouse the longing to touch them. They seem to be so velvety-soft.
Colourful Destruction
Andrea Botto deals with the aesthetic of creative destruction. The Galleria Cartacea presented a series of photographs showing various explosions. “Underground Blast” depicts a controlled detonation in the Brenner Basistunnel with the resulting light. “KA-BOOM #76” illustrates the colourful fireworks of the “Sciuta di San Paolo” during the festivities in honour to the saint in Palazzolo Acredine, Sicily. “Shell of shells” is an explosion of colours, a photograph of fireworks in Malta. Completed was the series by explosive devices made of clay. For the artist there is a deep connection between the burned clay, the imitated detonators and the grounds, where they might explode.
Greta Schödl highlights her visual poetry with gold leaf and gives it an almost audible touch. Herewith, her works have a transcendental shine. This year, the Richard Saltoun Gallery brought the limited edition of her “Fantastic Animals” from 1970, printed in 2024.
In the huge halls of the Arte Fiera were many other interesting artworks, which didn’t fit into our subject of light and colours. Therefore, have a look at our photo gallery with noteworthy artworks and from an performance.
