Seventh edition of Premio Furla award
Winner will be announced on Saturday 24th January
The prestigious Italian award supporting young artistic creativity has been given a renewed format for this year’s challenge, which confirms the extent to which its identity resides principally in its ability to grow, evolve and constantly update itself, serving as an instrument for critical investigation and discussion of contemporary artistic research.
In this Seventh edition the need for reflection on the crucial themes of the modern artistic system, the role of the curator and the idea of the artist’s project has emerged.
Also offering itself as a rare opportunity for visibility and recognition for the most recent generation of Italian curators who over the past few years have undertaken highly skilled collaborations with foreign institutions, the Premio Furla aims to provide a significant contribution towards reflections on curatorial practice and its relationship with the act of producing a work of art, at a time in which the importance of the creative process and the public’s desire to experience and share it with the artist is becoming ever more important, and the cultural value of the curator’s role is becoming ever more central and visible.
The latest request for the five finalist artists to design a new piece of work which was introduced for this edition also raises the question of what design means, both from the point of view of an institution and that of an artist, drawing on a critical point that is raised with particular frequency in the Italian artistic system.
The idea of providing Italian artists with a concrete space in which to plan new productions that will be realized and destined for public enjoyment in the context of a museum is an extraordinary gamble on a future that points towards more decidedly contemporary artistic research. This formula also represents a fascinating challenge for the artist, who is called upon to put himself to the test by tackling a creative course that leads to a specific destination.
The guiding themes of the Premio Furla 2009 will be discussed in Bologna during the Arte Fiera 2009 exhibition on Saturday 24th January 2009 at 3.00 p.m. at the Art Talks area in mezzanine 15-20, on the occasion of the round table “Progettare per un artista” (The act of designing for an artist), with the participation of the members of the scientific committee (Chiara Bertola, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Walter Guadagnini, Gianfranco Maraniello, Pier Luigi Sacco), the members of the international jury (Marina Abramovic, Alessio Antoniolli, Zdenka Badovinac, Roberto Daolio, Hans Ulrich Obrist) and the Italian curators (Laura Barreca, Caroline Corbetta, Francesco Manacorda, Alessandro Rabottini and Andrea Viliani) who, together with internationally renowned guest curators, selected the five finalist artists.
On the occasion of the meeting, the bilingual volume edited by Charta will be presented which describes the journey into Italian art undergone by the five pairs of selecting curators, documenting the discussion phases that led them to choosing the finalists.
Remaining in the context of Arte Fiera 2009, from 23rd to 26th January at Pavillion 20 the projects of the five finalists Giorgio Andreotta Calò (Venice, 1979), Meris Angioletti (Bergamo, 1977), Giulia Piscitelli (Naples, 1965), Alberto Tadiello (Vicenza, 1983) and Ian Tweedy (Hahn-D, 1982) will be displayed.
The Premio Furla 2009, which corresponds to a total value of 45,000 Euros, is divided into two distinct award phases. The work of art from the winning project will be produced by Fondazione Furla and will then be acquired by and kept at MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, while the winner will be given the opportunity to take part in an artist’s residency at Gasworks in London, coordinated by Viafarini, the centre for documentation on contemporary art.
The name of the winner of the Premio Furla 2009 will be announced at the end of the round table at the Art Talks area on Saturday 24th January at approximately 6.00 p.m.
