Artissima 2024, Turin's contemporary art fair returns. Theme: daydreaming

The appointment with contemporary art returns to Turin with the 31st edition of Artissima, the Italian fair entirely dedicated to contemporary art. From November 1 to 3, 2024, the spaces ofTurin’s Oval will host an event that, like every year, promises to surprise with new creative and cultural challenges. Directed for the third year by Luigi Fassi, Artissima establishes itself as an incubator of talent and ideas thanks to the fundamental contribution of Main Partner Intesa Sanpaolo.

The program of Artissima 2024 includes seven sections that represent the beating heart of the fair. The four main sections - Main Section, New Entries (galleries that have been open for less than five years), Monologue/Dialogue (galleries with an experimental approach presenting monographic projects or dialogues between two artists) and Art Spaces & Editions (art editions) - bring together a selection of galleries and artists of international standing. These are joined by three curated sections, Present Future (dedicated to emerging talents), Back to the Future (dedicated to contemporary art pioneers) and Drawings, also hosted on the digital platform Artissima Voice Over. With these sections, the fair expands its reach and offers direct access even to those who cannot be present in person, in line with an international and technological vision.

Luigi Fassi, the director of Artissima, expresses great satisfaction with the evolution of the fair, which this year sees the participation of 189 galleries from 34 countries, a number that confirms Turin as a cultural and commercial crossroads of the art world. Among the galleries present, 66 will bring monographic projects, a format increasingly appreciated by the public of collectors and curators. By contrast, 37 galleries are exhibiting for the first time.

The selection committee is composed of Paola Capata, Monitor gallery, Rome, Lisbon, Pereto; Raffaella Cortese, Raffaella Cortese gallery, Milan, Albisola Superiore; Philippe Charpentier, mor charpentier gallery, Paris, Bogota; Nikolaus Oberhuber, KOW gallery, Berlin; Antoine Levi, Ciaccia Levi gallery, Paris, Milan; Elsa Ravazzolo Botner, A Gentil Carioca gallery, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo; Guido Costa, Guido Costa Projects gallery, Turin. Artissima 2024 galleries come from 34 countries and 4 continents: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, the United Arab Emirates, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Hungary, Uruguay and Zimbabwe.

Artissima promotes, in collaboration with partner companies, art institutions and foundations, 11 prizes, an acquisition fund and a gallery fund. The 2024 edition is enriched by the Orlane Prize for Art promoted by Orlane, one of the world’s most renowned brands in the luxury cosmetics sector; it adds the confirmation and increase to 280,000 euros of the historic Acquisition Fund promoted by the Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT to benefit the collections of GAM - Galleria Civica di Arte Moderna di Torino and Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea. The new edition confirms the Artissima New Entries Fund, supported directly by the fair to financially support three New Entries galleries. Finally, the promoters of ten historic and morèyoung awards confirm their support for the fair. Four awards in collaboration with partner companies: - the illy Present Future Award, promoted by illycaffé since 2001; - the VANNI occhiali #artistroom Award, promoted by VANNI occhiali since 2021; - the Tosetti Value Award for Photography, promoted by Tosetti Value - The Family office since 2020; - the Orlane Award for Art, born this year thanks to the promotion of Orlane. Two awards in memory of prominent figures in the art world: - The Matteo Viglietta Award, promoted by Collezione La Gaia from 2022; - The Carol Rama Award, promoted by Fondazione Sardi per l’Arte from 2020.

Five institutional supports to artists and galleries are promoted by foundations and institutions: - the Diana Bracco Award -- Women Entrepreneurs in Art, born in 2023 and promoted by the Bracco Foundation in collaboration with the Roberto De Silva and Diana Bracco Foundation in Milan; - the Pista 500 Award, born in 2023 in collaboration with the Pinacoteca Agnelli; - the Oelle Award -- Ancient Mediterranean, promoted since 2022 by the Foundation of the same name in Catania; - the “with eyes closed ....”, born in 2021 from the collaboration with the Merz Foundation; - the Ettore and Ines Fico Prize, promoted by the MEF Museo Ettore Fico in Turin since 2010. The prizes are awarded during the days of the fair, November 1-3, 2024, by international juries.

“The Era of Daydreaming”: daydreaming as a central theme.

The central theme of this edition is "The Era of Daydreaming," a tribute to the creative power of daydreaming, or daydreaming, as a tool for artistic production and social reflection. The concept, increasingly explored by neuroscientists and philosophers, is an invitation for Artissima to reflect: contemporary art is not only creation, but also a vision of a future shaped by free and spontaneous thought. This theme guides the entire event and is reflected in the works and projects presented, offering a space where artists, curators and the public can explore the potential of the human mind and its ability to generate innovative ideas.

“In an age of incessant connections and limitless external stimuli,” says Luigi Fassi, “a fascinating rediscovery is taking hold: the inestimable value of spontaneous thinking and daydreaming. The rediscovery of the role of this unexplored territory of the mind constitutes a research terrain in which researchers from different fields, on the border between science and the humanities, are cooperating with each other. Their findings reveal an unexpected power: the innate ability to constantly imagine new scenarios and alternative realities, projecting us into a future full of possibilities. Through daydreaming, we are constantly shaping new relational scenarios, finding original solutions, and shaping ambitious projects that relaunch our biographical project forward. Daydreaming has immense creative potential, and it is what artists primarily use to break the barriers of what is known and predictable and chart new paths in the exploration of our time.”

A fair that promotes dialogue and cultural cooperation

Artissima is not just a fair but a cultural institution that, through the confrontation between art and society, acts as an accelerator of change, thanks to its collaboration with public and private entities, such as Fondazione CRT and Compagnia di San Paolo. Artissima also collaborates with the Turin Chamber of Commerce and numerous local institutions, promoting interaction with the Piedmont region and contributing to the region’s cultural economy.

Artissima is organized by Artissima srl, a company of the Fondazione Torino Musei founded in 2008, while the brand belongs to the City of Turin, the Piedmont Region and the Metropolitan City of Turin. The 2024 edition is made possible thanks to the support of these ownership bodies and the partnership with Fondazione CRT, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and the Turin Chamber of Commerce. These partnerships are key to ensuring that Artissima continues to be a leading event on the international art scene.

Artissima 2024, Turin's contemporary art fair returns. Theme: daydreaming

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