THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL THAT GIVES A VOICE TO CONTEMPORARY ART: FAENZA.
Futuro presente / Present continuous
May 23-25, 2008
www.festivalartecontemporanea.it
Somewhere in the world, almost every day a new contemporary art biennial, festival or fair is being announced. In spite of their diversity in terms of context, scope, themes, and financial resources, all these initiatives share a common goal: to exhibit exciting contemporary art. What is missing, however, is a moment and a place to pause and to reflect on where contemporary art is heading, devoting all energies and attention to debating in depth on such multi-faceted aspects as audiences, big events, museums, art schools, markets, curatorial trends, collecting, artists’ positions, etcetera.
Faenza, a beautiful Italian town with a worldwide reputation in the design and manufacturing of ceramics, is willing to fill this gap, launching the International Festival of Contemporary Art Futuro Presente / Present Continuous, which will take place on May 23 – 25, 2008. These three days will provide a global platform for curators, artists, scholars and professionals willing to investigate and understand the evolution of the contemporary art system in an epoch of turbulent change, burgeoning opportunities and
unprecedented challenges.
The Festival offers a so far unique opportunity to listen to, and to discuss with, some of the outstanding personalities and opinion leaders in the field, in a situation where discussion takes the main stage, rather than being a side event to attend if there is spare time.
The scientific committee of the Festival includes Carlos Basualdo, curator of contemporary art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and professor of history of exhibitions at the IUAV University Venice, Pier Luigi Sacco, professor of cultural economics at IUAV University Venice, scientific director of goodwill and of the strategic plan for the cultural district of Faenza, and Angela Vettese, professor of history of contemporary art at IUAV University Venice, and director of the City Gallery of Contemporary Art of Modena.
With its innovative format, Futuro Presente / Present Continuous will offer an intriguing mix of non-stop meetings, seminars, presentations, debates and workshops, in the context of a magnificent, lively Italian town renowned for its hospitality and its excellent food, and hosting a wealth of exciting side events in a variety of different fields such as music, performing arts, crafts, and so on.
Among the many speakers and participants who already confirmed their presence are Alexander Alberro, Iwona Blazwick, Achille Bonito Oliva, Germano Celant, Eduardo Cicelyn, TJ Demos, Danilo Eccher, Alberto Garutti, Massimiliano Gioni, Dan Graham, Udo Kittelmann, Vasif Kortun, Beral Madra, Gianfranco Maraniello, Gerald Matt, Viktor Misiano, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Marjetica Potrc, Nancy Spector, Robert Storr, Francesco Vezzoli, to name but a few.
The program will also offer previews of the programs of some of the most important institutions and events on the forthcoming calendar of contemporary art. These range from the long-awaited travelling biennial exhibition, Manifesta, scheduled for the first time in Italy in 2008, to the new Whitechapel, which will open to the public in 2009, after an important extension plan, designed by the architects Robbrecht
en Daem.
Special attention will be paid to the increasing interaction between the contemporary art world and the economy, from the development of markets to the growing role of contemporary art as a source of identity, innovation, and organizational involvement, and so on. These issues will be discussed by a selected forum of entrepreneurs explaining the meaning and motivation of their involvement, and investment, in contemporary art today.
Also the interactions between contemporary art and cultural and creative industries (fashion design, food design, product design, architecture) will be explored with the help of Flavio Albanese, director of Domus, Stefano Boeri, director of Abitare, Maria Luisa Frisa, professor of Fashion Studies at IUAV University Venice, Alexander von Vegesack, director of the Vitra Design Museum, and with world-renowned guests such as fashion designer Antonio Marras, chef Massimo Bottura, and many more.
Promoted by
Municipality of Faenza
Moto d’idee – Faenza verso il distretto culturale evoluto
goodwill
With the patronage of
Commissione Europea
Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri
Ministero degli Affari Esteri
Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali
Regione Emilia Romagna
Provincia di Ravenna
GAI – Giovani Artisti Italiani
Goethe Institute – Mailand
With the support of
Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali
Parc
partners
Gruppo Hera
Costruzioni Edili Bertozzini
Byblos
Pirelli & C. Real Estate SpA
Teseco
In collaboration with
Acax, Bucharest
AMACI
ANGAMC
CAIC, Vilnius
Polish Institute of Rome
Scope Art Fair, Miami, New York, London, Basel
Trans Europe Halles
University IUAV of Venice
University UIAH, Helsinki
uqbar, Berlin
Viafarini, Milan
Scientific committee
Carlos Basualdo, Pier Luigi Sacco, Angela Vettese
Organisation and communication
goodwill
For further information:
Santa Nastro, press office
sn@good-will.it
+393295794324
+39051220080
www.festivalartecontemporanea.it
