Artissima as never seen before: in Turin kicks off Italy's largest contemporary art fair

206 galleries from 31 countries, more than 5,000 invited collectors, 20,000 square meters of exhibition space, more than 2,000 works by more than seven hundred artists: these are just some of the numbers of the 2017 edition (the twenty-fourth) of Artissima, Italy’s most important contemporary art fair, which opens its doors to the public tomorrow at theOval Lingotto in Turin. A three-day event, from November 3 to 5, that will showcase the best of contemporary art, selected by a curatorial board of exceptional quality, led by Ilaria Bonacossa.

There will be a total of seven exhibition areas, four of which have been selected by the fair’s gallery committee. The Main section will welcome the world’s leading galleries and the works of the most prominent artists on the international scene (95 galleries, 46 of which are foreign). The New entries section, on the other hand, will be dedicated to emerging galleries: space for 13 galleries, 8 of which are foreign. Also returning for this year is the Dialogue section inaugurated in 2016: it is reserved for specific projects in which works by one, two or three artists are put in “dialogue” with each other (33 galleries, of which 26 are foreign). On the other hand, the Editions and Publishing section, inaugurated in 2012, is in its sixth presence at the fair: editions, prints and multiples by contemporary artists coming from 10 galleries and bookstores. The remaining three sections are those curated by the international board: Present Future, reserved for emerging talents (20 artists presented by 23 galleries including 17 foreign ones), Back to the future with which the great masters of contemporary art since the 1980s will be rediscovered (27 artists from 29 galleries including 17 foreign ones), and the brand new Drawings section, which arrives for the first time at Artissima just this year.

Indeed, there are several new features in this edition. Starting, precisely, with the section dedicated to drawings, curated by Luís Silva and João Mourão of Kunsthalle Lissabon (and to which we have dedicated an in-depth interview with the two curators, which you can read by clicking here). Again, we will see a new exhibition project, the Deposito d’Arte Italiana Presente, dedicated to Italian art from 1994 to the present, and curated by Ilaria Bonacossa and Vittoria Martini(by clicking here you can read our in-depth feature with an interview with Vittoria Martini). Then, don’t miss the new meeting program"Piper. Learning at the discotheque," which we talked about (click here) with curator Paola Nicolin. And also: the digital platform (Artissima this year turns its catalog into a constantly updated digital platform where galleries can upload their content), the #SocialRoom to allow the public to find different “digital inspirations,” the After Artissima evening lounge for exhibitors, VIPs and press.

Other initiatives include #ArtissimaLive, a digital project that through online channels and thanks to the work of a “live” editorial staff composed of art magazines, bloggers and sector websites will give timely information to the public; Walkie Talkies, informal conversations among the fair stands coordinated by Abaseh Mirvali; the Ypsilon St’Art Tour by Lancia program of guided tours that will take the public to discover the artists at the fair, as well as the Meeting Point by La Stampa, an area reserved for some cultural projects on contemporary art, and theUniCredit Art Advisory, free consultations aimed at collectors.

Finestre sull’Arte is in-kind media partner of the event: we will be at Artissima to tell live, through selections of images, the salient aspects of the important contemporary art fair.

The appointment is therefore at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, from November 3 to 5. Opening hours daily from 12 noon to 8 p.m., full ticket 15 euros and reduced 10 euros (for children 12 to 18 years old, over 65, university students, military and conventioned). Free for disabled, friends of Castello di Rivoli, friends of Camera, MEF Friends, Friends Pinacoteca Agnelli, Torino+Contemporary Card holders, children under 12. For all practical information, the exhibition catalog, in-depth sections and live updates can be accessed at www.artissima.it.

Image: Artissima, International Contemporary Art, Turin, 2016. © Perottino-Alfero-Tardito/ Artissima 2016

Artissima as never seen before: in Turin kicks off Italy's largest contemporary art fair

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