OPEN 12. International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations

OPEN 12. International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations
by Arte Communications



PRESS RELEASE Press conference 2 September 2009 at 2.00 p.m. / Hotel Des Bains Light cocktail 2 September 2009 at 4.00 p.m. / Blue Moon Inauguration cocktail (by invitation only) 2 September 2009 at 7.00 p.m. / Island of San Servolo Open to the public 3 September - 4 October 2009, every day, entry free of charge

OPEN, the International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations, reaches its twelfth edition with a new developing course, an open-air art workshop, where the works themselves are paths that may be followed with the eye or by interaction. Nearly all created specially for the exhibition, the sculptures, installations, photographs and canvases that make up this ideal stream of consciousness are spaces for reflection in which art renews its tension towards the indefinite, eluding form and finiteness, to offer the visitor the possibility of thinking of art free from schemes or thematic set-ups. The event will be held from 2 September to 4 October, in parallel to the 66th Venice International Film Festival, at Venice Lido, and for the second time on the Island of San Servolo. The tree-lined avenues, the sunny promenade, the terraces and the historic hotels that have hosted Lido's busy cultural life over the years, and the splendid gardens of the Island of San Servolo, filled with memories of their past history, form the background for the works of art and are at the same time spectators of artistic and intercultural movements in which they too are protagonists to a certain extent: the location of the works modifies the observer's perception, filtering the way the spectator interprets them and making OPEN a unique and unrepeatable event. Conceived and curated by Paolo De Grandis, jointly organised by Carlotta Scarpa and Arte Communications, in collaboration with the Department of Culture of the Venice City Council, the exhibition has been awarded the Silver Shield of the President of the Republic and is held under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of the Cultural Heritage, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Veneto Region, the Province of Venice and Venice City Council.

OPEN's success over the years has been marked by the presence of numerous curators who have brought to the exhibition a research focussing on the latest trends in art and culture on both the national and the international scene. Among the innovations, there is the participation of Christos Savvidis, director of Artbox, art director of Art Athina and curator of Poets Machine in the 53th Venice Biennale, who will curate artists from the Mediterranean area with site-specific artworks. A platform for comparison and collaboration, such as that proposed by Anna Caterina Bellati who returns with her dynamic view of Italian art in its many aspects. She has introduced great projects, from works by historic masters to the most recent proposals by promising young artists: the aim is to outline contexts, ways of life and interactive proposals, thus enabling visitors to express their opinions. The successful collaboration with Chang Tsong-Zung, Enrico Pedrini, Nevia Pizzul Capello is continuing, with the new presence of Gertrud Kohler-Aeschlimann, director of Art-St-Urban the prestigious museum of sculpture in Lucerne. The important venture of giving space to new talents in the art world is continuing: this year the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts is participating with a project curated by Massimo Pulini, housed in the striking location of the Island of San Servolo. The intent of the exhibition is not to create a defined scene, enclosed within specific parameters of style, but to establish a dialogue between incompatible elements on the limit between representation and the physical nature of the work. OPEN presents the free soul of contemporary art, midway between new aesthetic themes and eccentric provocations, between irony, theatricality and a playful vocation, to redefine the present day through the eyes of forty-two artists from twelve different countries. Among the protagonists, León Ferrari, who was already awarded with the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, will present an important work in bronze. Also taking part will be the masters Ercole Pignatelli and Ugo Riva, the Indian artist Nataraj Sharma, Andreas Savva with an important site-specific project, Stefano Bombardieri and the Georgian artist Eteri Chkadua. The young Swiss artists Daniel Glaser and Magdalena Kunz who will present a fascinating installation on the terrace of Excelsior Hotel. The opening day will be enlivened by the performance of B.Zarro with his tribute to Mario Schifani. Among the many possible interpretations at this exhibition there is the continuous alternation of sensitivity in imagining contemporary art; there is a fil rouge of collaboration between artists, curators and promoting bodies that share exciting artistic synergies; and the really entrancing interpretation that traces a path through the great skill of all those who have worked to achieve an excellent result when the curtain rises on this art show. The OPEN Prize also reaches its ninth edition. This special prize, coinciding with the 66th Venice International Film Festival, is awarded to a director taking part whose work shows a strong link between the cinema and the figurative arts. Founded by Arte Communication and realised in collaboration with Bellati Editore, this year's prize is a work by the Master Ugo Riva. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Bellati, containing comments by critics, presentations by the authorities and the list of the works on show. Available from the Arte Communications lnfopoint at Lido in Piazzale Bucintoro and in Venice in Riva San Biagio, Castello 2145. A video of the exhibition will also be produced by Maurizio Cesana.

Venice Lido ARGENTINA / León Ferrari CHINA / Lee Sun-Don, Zhao Guanghui CYPRUS / Andreas Savva FINLAND / Hannu Palosuo, Kiba Lumberg FRANCE / Bernard Pourrière GEORGIA / Eteri Chkadua GERMANY / Gabriele Pöhlmann-Grundig, Bertamaria Reetz and Rainer Bonk GREECE / Venia Bechrakis, Aristotelis Deligiannidis, Under Construction INDIA / Nataraj Sharma ITALY / Cosimo Andrisano, B.Zarro, Enrico Benetta, Cristian Biasci, Stefano Bombardieri, Marilù Cattaneo, Andrea Ciampini, Girolamo Ciulla, Marco Cornini, Margherita Michelazzo, Ercole Pignatelli, Ugo Riva, Federica Silvi SWITZERLAND / Heinz Aeschlimann, Daniel Glaser/Magdalena Kunz, Christian Bolt URUGUAY USA / Jorge Misium USA / Fulvia Zambon Island of San Servolo ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI DI BOLOGNA Angelarosa Benevento, Francesco Cossu, Luca Freschi, Laura Guerinoni, Giacomo Lion, Matteo Lucca, Angelo Massaro, Lara Mezzapelle, Fabio Romano, Lucio Terenzi, Linda Vigiani, Davide Vivaldi, Diego Zuelli