Press Release ARTE FIERA 2014-24 - 27 January at BolognaFiere Many new features, more galleries (+ 27% on 2013), more than 2000 artworks, more than 1100 Italian and international artists More than 200 Exhibitor art galleries, publishers, bookstores, institutions and specialist periodicals THOUSANDS EXPECTED FOR THE 100 OR SO EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR ART CITY AND THE MAGICAL ART WHITE NIGHT, SATURDAY Everything is set for the 2014 edition of Arte Fiera, Italy is most important modern and contemporary art event that will open its doors from 24 to 27 January at BolognaFiere. 172 art galleries will be present, a 27% growth on 2013, a leap that derives from the new sections dedicated to the second half of the 19 th century and photography. Other features include New Focus when 10 galleries showing art from Eastern Europe - linking in with the exhibition Il Piedistallo vuoto. Ghosts from Eastern Europe held at Bologna's Museo Archeologico - a section on China, and the return of New Proposals dedicated to promising young artists, and the monographic Solo Shows. More than 2,000 artworks will be on display signed my more than 1,100 artists. Exhibitors will include a total of 33 publishers, bookstores, institutions and specialist periodicals. The old town of Bologna will have a mosaic of events for its traditional ART CITY and Saturday night will be the magical Art White Night. The Press Conference this morning in Bologna's Archaeological Museum presented Arte Fiera and Art City. The various events to take taking place in Bologna between 24 and 27 January at the Fair and in the old town were described in detail to a full house of journalists, cultural operators and art enthusiasts. Speakers included Duccio Campagnoli President, BolognaFiere; Gianfranco Maraniello Director, Istituzione Bologna Musei; Alberto Ronchi - Councillor for Culture and Relations with the University, Bologna City Council; Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi President, Istituzione Bologna Musei; and Arte Fiera Artistic Directors Claudio Spadoni and Giorgio Verzotti. Marco Scotini, curator of the exhibition in the town centre concluded the overview. Arte Fiera, Italy s premier modern and contemporary art shows and one of the main European events of the sector this year sees an increase in the number of exhibitors and sectors. After the success of 2013 with more than 42,000 visitors, the 2014 edition, its 38 th, has an important program with exciting new features and an extension of its scope aimed to take on board new market trends on the basis of the trade show s curatorial approach. A host of artists will be on show, from the most renowned household names to promising new talents in contemporary art, along with many still little known masterpieces from Eastern Europe. With the inclusion of the second half of the 19th century, Arte Fiera will feature for the very first time Italian and foreign artists of that period as well as great names in photography, presented by specialist galleries. The rise in Arte Fiera exhibitor attendance is particularly high, emphasized BolognaFiere President, Duccio Campagnoli, on account of the new curatorial approach adopted by its Artistic Directors. In this way Arte Fiera is once again a save-the-date event in the modern and
contemporary art world, a tradeshow that knows how to highlight its participating galleries with a series of cultural and market-oriented themes and activities. As well as an art tradeshow, Arte Fiera is also a major cultural event that views its mission also in terms of indicating ways to overcome the current crisis on the Italian art market adopting a broader innovative formula in line with a now consolidated trend among collectors, our main customer target as organisers. The Fair will be held in the traditional two Halls used last year to present Arte Fiera s new exhibition formula. Designed by architect Benevolo, the large windows of Halls 25 and 26 allow natural light to show off exhibits at their best in an area of more than 10,000 square metres. The 2014 edition of Arte Fiera stands out as the premier art show in Italy for modern and contemporary art lovers and collectors. The tradeshow s leadership has been carefully built up by BolognaFiere over the years, thanks to constant focus on proposing only the very best to art collectors coming to Bologna. Contemporary art shown by major Italian and international galleries is still the key feature of a trade fair that has contributed to the success of many artists. Once again the continued partnership with the Association of Contemporary Art Galleries in Italy will ensure that contemporary art is once again the focus of the event. This year too will see the attendance of other selected galleries, providing collectors from all over the world with a full overview of artistic expression. The new Arte Fiera is the result of the clear direction given by its Artistic Directors, Giorgio Verzotti and Claudio Spadoni, designed to further enhance AF s catchment area, making it more competitive compared to other Italian and international art fairs. Many art collections are becoming multifarious, embracing works and objects from different epochs and styles. Starting with this edition, the art works exhibited and on sale will range from paintings, drawings, sculpture, video installations, and photography from different historical periods. In line with international trends aiming to give collectors the broadest possible offering, the new sections to be introduced this year span the second half of the 19 th century, works by emerging young talents and Eastern European artists, and photography (developed in partnership with Milan s MIA Fair). Eastern European countries A Special Focus Section curated by Marco Scotini is dedicated to Eastern Europe, the geographical area selected for 2014. The economic gear-shift in Eastern European countries has given an impetus to the art market and culture in general. The 10 galleries from this area will be grouped in a specific section of the Fair, while the exhibition Arte Fiera Collections - Il Piedistallo vuoto. Ghosts from Eastern Europe will be hosted in the city s Museo Civico Archeologico (from 24 th January to 16 th March 2014). The show will feature works on loan from Italian art collections, including the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and Nicola Trussardi Foundations, the Enea Righi, La Gaia (Turin) and Maramotti Collections, by internationally renowned names (Ilya Kabakov, Vyatscheslav Akhunov, Jiri Kovanda, Julius Koller, Ion Grigorescu, Nedko Solakov, Deimantas Narkevicius, and Mircea Cantor) in a major overview dedicated to the contemporary art scene in the former Soviet countries. Inclusion of late 19 th century artworks Another new feature of this year s edition is the début of late 19 th century art, an initiative proposed by the Fair s Artistic Directors as part of their curatorial approach focusing on how
many 19 th century artists heralded modern art. This new section creates a link between the most innovative sectors of the previous century and proposes a completely new take on the way modern and contemporary artistic expression connects with what came before. This new feature echoes a general trend seen at several art events, highlighting the interplay between ancient, modern and contemporary art. Arte Fiera has taken the brave step of flanking the 19 th century art of the Macchiaioli - De Nittis, Boldini and Lega - with contemporary works, creating a vision of contemporary art that transcends the temporal and geographical confines imposed by sterile academic distinctions to spotlight the universal artistic language used by artistic geniuses that defies compartmentalization. Major Italian galleries specialising in late 19 th century artists welcomed the opportunity to attend offered by the Artistic Directors. Their presence gives a further cutting edge to Arte Fiera on the Italian and international scene. Photography For the new photography section, curated together with Milan s MIA Fair, 20 Galleries have been selected presenting projects by Italian (Franco Fontana, Vittore Fossati, Maurizio Galimberti, Mario Giacomelli and Paolo Ventura) and international artists like Andres Serrano (Cuba), Robert Gligorov (Macedonia), Gohar Dashti (Iran) and Olivier Roller (France). The aim is to present an historical overview of photography from the early period through to contemporary production, featuring both well-known and emerging photographers. On show in some booths will be the work of several artists grouped under general topics like Journeys, Non-Places, the Human Body and Spaces. Other Galleries will adopt the format of the Milan show and present monographic collections. The Solo Shows Following on from last year's success, the large sections dedicated to Modern and Contemporary Art and the area reserved for new proposals from Eastern Europe will again be flanked by the Solo Shows, small monographic exhibitions of leading modern and contemporary artists presented by galleries who from the outset believed and invested in a particular artist. They stand as examples of the symbiosis between Gallery owner and artist, a key factor in the success of many an artist, and a tribute to the art gallery in question. Lastly, New Proposals is a section reserved for Galleries devoted exclusively to artists born after 1979. As Italy s premier Art fair, Arte Fiera is very much focused on the new figures coming onto the scene. In opening its doors to these upcoming artists, it also acknowledges those art galleries that support new contemporary expression. Focus on China: Chinese art and art collections with BolognaFiere SH Contemporary The Chinese contemporary art collecting market gains a special focus at Arte Fiera with a special exhibition on inks, and a preview of the new edition in China of BolognaFiere SH Contemporary. BolognaFiere organises Mainland China's premier contemporary art fair in Shanghai, reflecting a consolidated tradition followed by many famous European art tradeshows that propose their event outside the Old Continent. Scheduled from 11 th to 14 th September 2014 in Shanghai, SH Contemporary is a window on the cultural and artistic scene in East Asia, reproposing the same successful event formula of Bologna and its focus on quality to meet the tastes of connoisseur collectors, be they Westerners interested in the developments of Chinese artists or Oriental
collectors interested in safe investments in European art. This joint collaboration between Arte Fiera and SH Contemporary will bring to Bologna the exhibition "Discovering Ink, a series of contemporary works in ink by important Chinese artists loaned by major Chinese galleries, which, with this opportunity, obtain a window onto European markets. Staged in the fair grounds, the exhibition will focus on ink-on-paper art in China, a medium with a long history and deep significance even in modern times. The exhibition is the first of its kind in Italy. It features Chinese artists like Qin Feng, Qui Deshu, Zhang Hao, who in recent years have come to the forefront of the international scene. Zhang Hao will be present in person at Arte Fiera and attend one of the Conversations, exploring the world of Eastern art together with SH Contemporary Artistic Director, Guido Mologni. ARTE FIERA EVENTS Arte Fiera Conversations Arte Fiera 2014 returns with a high calibre programme of Conversations, twelve meetings and round tables on the state of the art market. Discussants will include leading gallery owners, curators, museum directors and art collectors from the modern and contemporary art world. Special attention will be paid to some of the major international Corporate Collections like the EVN Group, Lhoist, and the VAC and Erste Foundations. Other topics include artistic creation in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries, China and of course Italy. Art City Bologna and Art City White Night Throughout Arte Fiera, the whole city of Bologna will be involved in art and will itself become both venue and stage for the many events linked to modern and contemporary art. In partnership with the City of Bologna s Department of Culture, Arte Fiera will again feature ART CITY, a jam-packed calendar of initiatives held in the city s museums, curated and coordinated by Gianfranco Maraniello, director of MAMbo, Bologna s modern art museum. The Art City programme developed in collaboration with Arte Fiera includes several very special events: a tribute to the great Bolognese artist Giorgio Morandi; the exhibition Arte Fiera Collections Il Piedistallo vuoto Ghosts from Eastern Europe, curated by Marco Scotini, with more than 100 artists from Eastern Europe who were discovered in the post-soviet period and whose works have now been loaned by important Italian collectors. Arte Fiera is also presenting in collaboration with MAST, the Centre for the arts, experimentation and technology, one of the most innovative cultural features in Bologna today, for the exhibition Industrial Worlds 014. The exhibition will open on 23 rd January following an Arte Fiera preview showing, with an anthology of works from the Centre s photography collection focused on the industrial and working world. The exhibition will include photographs by people like Margaret Bourke-White, Bill Brant, Robert Doisneau and many others held by the Mast Foundation. Finally, there is the exhibition, staged in collaboration with the Bologna Provincial Authorities, The Legacy of the Bastardini: from good works to art. A selection of artworks from the Bologna Province collection, at Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, Via Castiglione 7. As usual, Saturday night will see the rollout of events organised by Bologna s commercial and cultural operators at Art White Night, attending each year by tens of thousands. Already a
hundred or so events are scheduled to animate the streets of Bologna when Arte Fiera closes its gates for the night. Visitors will be able to enjoy art in an ancient city fabric. This event, the only one of its kind in Italy, will continue into the night and is completely free of charge. Art City and White Night events can be seen on the interactive map on our website: www.artefiera.bolognafiere.it Euromobil Under 30 Prize Arte Fiera is also home to the 8 th edition of the Euromobil Under 30 Prize reserved to artists born after 1983, and promoted by the Euromobil group, the event s main sponsor. The traditional Prize given by the jury of experts will be flanked by a further prize to an artist chosen directly by the public. This new prize will be awarded to the work of art and artist receiving the most votes from Arte Fiera visitors together those of website viewers (www.gruppoeuromobil.com). The prize-giving ceremony is scheduled for Saturday 25 th January, at 16.00, in the Euromobil Group Space entitled Art places, design places. Both prizes consist in the winning art works being purchased for the Euromobil Group spa collections.