January 24–26, 2020
Bologna Fair District
Halls 18 and 15, North/Nord Entrance
Hours: Friday–Sunday 11am–7pm
Press preview by invitation: Thursday, January 23, 11am–12pm
Preview by invitation: Thursday, January 23, 12–5pm
Vernissage by invitation: Thursday, January 23, 5–9pm
Arte Fiera is Italy’s longest-running fair and one of the very first to open in Europe. Especially strong in modern art and post-war masters—but also receptive to the latest contemporary trends—it has been a reference point for the Italian and international art scene since 1974.
Under the direction of Simone Menegoi, with Gloria Bartoli as vice director, the Fair has launched a comprehensive process of renewal, from exhibition methods to public programme, with a specific goal: be the leading exhibition for 20th and 21st century Italian art and for the galleries that present it, while remaining open to international proposals.
The second edition directed by Menegoi has made significant progress toward renewal. The Fair is now held in two new halls, built much more recently than the previous ones, and with a completely new format. Alongside the traditional Main section, which presents works from the 20th century avant-garde to the latest contemporary art, there are now three invitation-only curatorial sections, specifically created to fit the Fair’s history and objectives. Focus, curated by Laura Cherubini, concentrates on modern art and post-war masters, the traditional strong points of Arte Fiera; Pittura XXI, curated by Davide Ferri, is the first section of any fair (Italian or foreign) devoted entirely to international contemporary painting; Photography and moving images, entrusted to the Fantom curatorial platform, presents photography as a medium in dialogue with other forms of expression, starting from video.
The Fair’s Public Programme, as rich and multifaceted as the commercial offer, is intimately linked with Italy (and Bologna in particular), but also aims to attract an international audience. The performance programme (Oplà. Performing activities, curated by Silvia Fanti / Xing) revives the long and significant history of performance in Bologna with new productions by Alessandro Bosetti, Jimmie Durham, Luca Vitone, and Zapruder Filmmakersgroup. The exhibit L’opera aperta (The Open Work), curated by Eva Brioschi (part of the Courtesy Emilia-Romagna series), explores the public and private institutional collections of Bologna and its territory: a “widespread museum” full of little-known masterpieces. The Talks programme, curated by Flash Art, renews the partnership between the Fair and Italy’s oldest contemporary art magazine, and presents speakers such as Michelangelo Pistoletto, Paolo Icaro, and Nicola De Maria. The Special Project—the commissioning of a new work by a mid-career artist, to be presented at the Fair—features Eva Marisaldi, one of the foremost Italian artists of the last 30 years.
Like last year, the Fair has paid special attention to welcoming Italian and foreign collectors, hundreds of whom will be offered accommodations at the Fair’s expense. The VIP programme, coordinated this year by Costanza Mazzonis di Pralafera, includes exclusive visits to the city’s largest private collections as well as guided tours of Art City, the series of shows and events coordinated by Lorenzo Balbi, director of MAMbo - Museo d’arte moderna di Bologna. Highlights of this edition include solo shows by Antoni Muntadas (Villa delle Rose) and Mika Taanila (Esprit Nouveau Pavilion), an ambitious group show on the concept of circularity and repetition (AGAINandAGAINandAGAINand, MAMbo), and the Italian premiere of Romeo Castellucci’s play La vita nuova (January 24 and 25).
One of Bologna’s main attractions—famous all over the world—is food, and Arte Fiera is worthy of its native city. This edition’s many attractions include a renewed partnership with FICO Eataly World Bologna (with a catering point and sale of excellent local products) and, in the VIP Lounge, a special guest: Giuseppe Palmieri, restaurant manager of Osteria Francescana in Modena, who will offer the dishes of his Da Panino.
Among the Fair’s many new partners is an especially prestigious sponsor: UBS, which supports the guided tours programme.
Contacts
Press Office Arte Fiera: Sara Zolla, press [at] sarazolla.com / T + 39 346 8457982
Communication and External Relations Manager: Isabella Bonvicini, isabella.bonvicini [at] bolognafiere.it / T 39 051 282920, T 39 335 7995370
Press Office BolognaFiere: Gregory Picco, gregory.picco [at] bolognafiere.it / T 39 051 282862 / T 39 334 6012743
