Edition: 54. International Art Exhibition - ILLUMInazioni directed by Bice Curiger (4 June - 27 November 2011)
Title of the Italian Pavilion: L’Arte non è Cosa Nostra
Curator: Vittorio Sgarbi
Commissioner: Antonia Pasqua Recchia
Catalogue: L’arte non è cosa nostra, 54. Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte La Biennale di Venezia, Padiglione Italia, a cura di Vittorio Sgarbi, Skira, Milano 2011
The Italian participation in the 54th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (June 4 – November 27, 2011) is marked by exceptional characteristics. The curator Vittorio Sgarbi, appointed by the Ministry, developed the project Art is not Cosa Nostra, conceived with an original criterion: the more than 200 artists on display were selected by writers, poets, directors, and intellectuals who were invited to be part of a scientific and technical committee. Chosen from internationally recognized personalities – deliberately not art critics – they expressed their preferences, providing reasons for their choices, with surprising results.
The curatorial project plays an important role on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy; starting from the Arsenale, it extends throughout Venice, expanding the spaces and the methods of intervention, and includes numerous and significant special initiatives, including exhibitions promoted in the Italian regions in collaboration with regional administrations and activities organized in the Italian Cultural Institutes promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A study commission collected and evaluated the work of thousands of artists in order to identify the most representative ones, over 1000, including sculptors, photographers, ceramists, and video artists from each region. The works of the selected artists are displayed in the most important and prestigious cities across our country, offering a global view that delves deeply into Italian creativity across the territory. The project aims to create a mapping, never done before, of the history of contemporary art in all its forms.
In order to provide a broader view of the creative spirit, the Italian Pavilion extends beyond Italy. The 89 Italian Cultural Institutes abroad exhibit, in their respective locations, the works of the most important Italian artists working internationally. A direct connection from abroad to Venice, through television screens, allows artists to be virtually present within the Italian Pavilion. The project is coordinated by Francesca Valente.
The project of the Italian Pavilion is completed with the presence of the 20 Academies of Fine Arts of Italy, which have selected their most promising students. In collaboration with the Directorate-General for Higher Artistic Education of the Italian Ministry of Education, 200 young artists, who have attended one of the Italian Academies in the past 10 years, were chosen to be displayed alongside the Italian Pavilion, throughout the duration of the Biennale, in the evocative Tese di San Cristoforo, facing the Arsenale.
Ultimo aggiornamento in data 8 November 2023