Primo Movimento

The twenty-sixth edition of miart, Milan’s international modern and contemporary art fair, organised by Fiera Milano and directed by Nicola Ricciardi, will take place from April 1 to 3,  2022.

With over 150 galleries operating from 20 countries, miart will be the first art fair of 2022 in Italy and one of the first in Europe: a key appointment for collectors in search of the great masterpieces of the early twentieth century as well as the creations of the latest generations of artists and designers.

miart 2022 welcomes back all the main Italian galleries and it has strengthened its international reach thanks to remarkable newcomers and a solid group of affectionate galleries including ChertLüdde (Berlin), CLEARING (New York, Brussels, Beverly Hills), Galerie Peter Kilchmann (Zurich), KLEMM’S (Berlin), Andrew Kreps Gallery (New York), KÖNIG GALERIE (Berlin), galerie Lange + Pult (Zurich, Auvernier), Lelong & Co. (Paris, New York), Mai 36 Galerie (Zurich), Meyer Riegger (Berlin), Misako & Rosen (Tokyo), Michel Rein (Paris, Brussels), Robilant+Voena (London, Milan, New York, Paris),  Richard Saltoun Gallery (London), Gian Enzo Sperone (Sent—New York) and Galerie Hubert Winter (Vienna), among many others.

The list of exhibitors can be found here.

If last year’s fall season of international fairs aimed at re-tuning the instruments of the art market after a long break, the goal for miart 2022 is to start a primo movimento—that is, the first movement of a new symphony. The term, borrowed from classical music, marks not only the beginning of a multi-part musical form, but it also expresses a desire for acceleration for an industry that is ready to lengthen its stride and take a leap forward. It is also a reference to the history of art and its temporal progression in movements that intertwine, intersect, and influence each other like the steps of a pair of dancers.

This concept has been pivotal for the development of a new graphic identity and an original photographic campaign designed by Cabinet Milano, a multidisciplinary studio founded by Rossana Passalacqua and Francesco Valtolina. For miart 2022, Cabinet collaborated with the German photographer Isabelle Wenzel, who photographed herself in a series of actions on the border between the performative space and the digital environment.

The idea of movement will also be at the center of a series of initiatives and collaborations during the Milano Art Week (March 28–April 3) with partners and institutions belonging to the world of music, dance, and theatre. These include FOG, Triennale Milano’s performing arts festival—that presents Christodoulos Panayiotou’s lecture-performance “Dying on Stage” and the screening of Romeo Castellucci’s new work “Milano”, filmed by Yuri Ancarani—and OutPut, an original program of performances in public spaces across the city curated by Davide Giannella.

Moreover, miart will be the occasion for the opening of all the main exhibitions of the season, including Elmgreen & Dragset at Fondazione Prada, Artur Zmijewski at PAC - Pavilion of Contemporary Art, Yuli Yamagata at Ordet, and Steve McQueen at Pirelli HangarBicocca. In addition, during the fair it will be possible to visit the shows already open in town, such as the large collective on Tiziano and his peers at Palazzo Reale, Anicka Yi at Pirelli HangarBicocca, and Miriam Cahn at Fondazione ICA.

All of this is aimed at making miart first and foremost an invitation to get moving all together—gallery owners, collectors, artists, citizens, and visitors. As the perfect execution of a symphony is only possible if there is collaboration and cohesion between the baton, forearms, hands, fingers, faces, gestures and, finally, the audience.