festival of Contemporary Art
25th January 2009, at 4pm, launching conference at Arte Fiera Art First Bologna
Art Talks (15/20 mezzanine)
After the success of the first edition, the festival of Contemporary Art will be back from 17 to 19 April 2009. On Biennials / Tutto sulle biennali in Faenza is the title of the second edition which will take place a few weeks before the inauguration of the Venice Biennale, run by Daniel Birnbaum, on 7 June 2009.
The members of the scientific committee, Carlos Basualdo, Pier Luigi Sacco and Angela Vettese, will be on hand to explain the choice of the theme for the festival programme, which has already received important initial support.
In 2009, the first festival in the world dedicated to reflection and comparison regarding the art of today will provide a stage that brings us closer to the occasion of the most important biennial of all. Naturally, as an Italian festival – explained Angela Vettese – we will have a chance to devote ourselves to great exhibitions at the upcoming edition of the Venice Biennale, which all Italians view as the leading biennial, especially in terms of time. Therefore the festival of Contemporary Art will provide an introduction to the Venice Biennale before its opening to the public at the beginning of June.
The closeness of the festival to the Biennale will be the starting point for the analysis of the global phenomenon of so-called “biennalisation”, which has never stopped since the 1990s. The year 2008, with about 50 exhibitions, will be the most prolific year yet for biennials. Carlos Basualdo underlines their importance when it comes to the growth of contemporary art. During the last twenty years, biennials have quite clearly become fundamentally important for the production and popularisation of contemporary art. They have been transformed into special areas where art can be put in touch with the production of knowledge. The festival of Contemporary Art aims to provide an in-depth analysis of these exhibitions and their effect on the understanding of art and its role in contemporary culture.
The festival, starting with the theme of biennials, will touch on all the themes that establish the trends of contemporary culture, looking at them from many different points of view. These themes are reflected in the ever-growing connections between art and society. By now – observed Pier Luigi Sacco – biennials are becoming events which do not entirely fit into the system of contemporary art, as they are increasingly depicted as moments of the global collective imagery.
The festival of Contemporary Art cannot ignore the relationship that this progressive expansion is creating with society and cultural audiences, which are now made up of more than just insiders from the world of contemporary art.
There are about 80 biennials or recurring exhibitions all over the world. From the most famous ones such as Documenta in Kassel, Tate Triennial, this year curated by Nicolas Bourriaud, or the American biennial at the Whitney Museum, to the most distant ones such as Riwaq (Palestine) and Auckland (New Zealand), to the very new ones, such as Prospect in New Orleans, run by Dan Cameron or the Brussels Biennial. We must not forget the Asian biennials, such as Gwangju (South Korea) which boasted a record 1,640,000 visitor in 1995. Also worth mentioning are the exhibitions due to be held in 2009 – 2010, such as Younger than Jesus, dedicated to young people at the New Museum in New York, or the Denver Biennial.
From the previews of international biennials which will follow the festival to the meetings dedicated to Le biennali degli artisti (artists’ biennials) – conversations between artists and curators who have participated in or will be one of the key figures of the upcoming biennials – the programme of the second edition of the festival will be characterised by new opportunities to “see” artworks through the voices of the artists and the key figures of this system. The festival has confirmed its role as a key opportunity for reflection on international contemporary art, open to an ever-increasing public of enthusiasts.
Among the scheduled events for this year there are Le biennali dei curatori (curators’ biennials) itineraries which aim to provide a reinterpretation of exhibitions with those who create them. International curators and artists will also fascinate the public with Dentro l’opera (Inside the work), a journey of discovery regarding the most beautiful works from biennials all over the world, between the secrets and emotions of contemporary art, which will provide a lot of surprises for the public.
There will also be opportunities for debate involving representatives from museums and foundations of international importance, as well as entrepreneurs, communicators, and journalists. The same will occur for the meetings dedicated to the Contaminazioni (Contaminations) between art and similar sectors, with the intervention of celebrities from the worlds of fashion, design and architecture, as in the 2008 edition.