Arte Fiera 2018: ABC-ARTE Stand A65

ABC-ARTE will take part in the 42nd edition of Arte Fiera, Bologna.

Arte Fiera, Italy's longest running art fair and the leading national event in terms of sales, has been the fulcrum of the national art market for the last 42 years. The coming edition will be taking place from the 2nd to 5th February with a preview on the 1st February.

Exactly 151 leading galleries have been invited to transform pavilions 25 and 26 of BolognaFiere into a platform for art and debate about modern and contemporary art. The number of galleries participating was considered very carefully in order to ensure the high quality of the event, a further 30 exhibitors that operate in publishing, graphics and the creative arts will be participating, bringing the total number of exhibitors to 181.

For the second year running, Angela Vettese will be the artistic director for the event and will be pursuing the curatorial approach that she began with the 2017 edition. For 2018 this will be enhanced with some key appointments offering in-depth insights into the work of individual artists and also some theoretical reflections.

With a focus specifically on the Italian scene and on the substance of the content, Arte Fiera 2018 is set to underline its role as the Italian art fair par excellence. Bologna in this context, continues in its tradition as a learned and cultured city as capable of critical focus as it is of moments of experimentation and one that is not, however, inclined towards the globalized sensationalising of art and its market.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Though maintaining the structure established last year, Arte Fiera 2018 will be offering some significant new developments. Planned for the 2nd and 3rd of February is the International Convention curated by Angela Vettese with Clarissa Ricci, entitled 'Between Exhibition and Fair: entre chien et loup', organised in collaboration with the IUAV University of Venice with the support of the University of Bologna, on the subject of the growing hybridisation of exhibitions and fairs, a hot topic of debate but so far one that has been examined little, perhaps due to the persistent historical, curatorial and theoretical resistance to relate art to the market. The discussions will be curated by Clarissa Ricci, Cristina Baldacci and Camilla Salvaneschi and will involve the participation of academics, artists, critics, curators, editors and other actors in the art system. The list of high profile speakers attending is set to include Terry Smith, Bruce Altshuler and John Rajchman.

The Main Section of the fair will include the subsection Modernity, the concept of which is to trace the etymology of the term: 'Modernity' not as modern art, currently intended as art from the early twentieth century, but as the relevance of the here and now, from the Latin word 'modo' that means 'just now'.

Within some of the stands, therefore, there will be some small personal exhibitions of artists considered worthy of further attention. The aim is to create a pathway between different artists from each epoch, nation and movement, brought together by a fil rouge of particular relevance that distinguishes their work and the courage that gallerists have demonstrated in exhibiting them