A leader within the international contemporary art fair scene, Artissima has brought together galleries from both Italy and abroad for three decades. The forthcoming edition of the fair, which will run November 3–5, 2023, at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy, will center on the theme “Relations of Care.”
The theme is drawn from a concept offered by Brazillian anthropologist and professor at the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo Renzo Taddei in a recent essay on indigenous modes of thinking. Within, Taddei puts forth a model of thinking that abandons ideas of otherness and Western superiority and instead turn to bodies of knowledge that promote coexistence and “relations of care.” Artissima has maintained a mission of a parallel form of care, forming a network of relationships between gallerists, artists, collectors, connoisseurs, and other art world professionals with the aim of fostering a promoting a foundational art-based community.
Cemile Sahin, The Future Is In The Sky (2022). Photo: Jörg von Bruchhausen. Courtesy of Esther Schipper.
Furthering this mission, the 2023 edition will see 181 galleries participating, hailing from 33 countries and 4 continents—39 of which are first-time exhibitors. In addition to the Main Section, New Entries will highlight emerging galleries and their programs; Monologue/Dialogue will be dedicated to galleries showing either monographic or dual-artist presentations; and Art Spaces and Editions, comprised of 9 exhibitors, will platform galleries, project spaces, and non-profits, and bookstores that all specialize in artists’ editions and multiples.
In parallel, there will be three curated sections, including Disegni focusing on drawing and curated by Collezione Ramo Curator Irina Zucca Alessandrelli, Present Future dedicated to rising talents curated by writer and curator Saim Demircan alongside Kunstverein München Director Maurin Dietrich, and Back to the Future, curated by Defne Ayas and Francesco Manacorda exploring the oeuvre of contemporary art pioneers.
Artissima Director Luigi Fassi. Photo: Giorgio Perottino. Courtesy of Artissima.
Highlighting the fair’s 30th anniversary, Artimissa’s own Director Luigi Fassi is set to curate “Where traces fade away,” drawn from the collection of Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (CRT). On view from October 24 through November 12, the exhibition will take place across five iconic locations across the city of Turn—underscoring the fair’s commitment to exploration and discovery of the city it calls home.
Of the exhibition, Fassi describes it as “a narrative of the relationship between macro-history and micro-history, through iconic works…making room for the subjectivity of artists and the cultural history of the territory.”
Tap Chan, Stardust II (2022). Courtesy of Mou Projects.
The Fondazione CRT is one of the fair’s steadfast supporters, and for the 2023 edition the have increased their annual Acquisitions Fund to the sum of €200,000 to mark Artissima’s important anniversary. The Fondazione has cumulative acquired more than 900 works to date, with an investment of over €40 million, from Artissima, which benefit the collections of Galleria Civica di Arte Moderna di Turin and Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea.
Veronica Bisesti, Pioggia primordiale (2023). Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco, Naples.
With expansive gallery participation and wide-ranging and diverse curated programs throughout, the 2023 edition of Artissima promises to be a highlight of the autumn art world calendar, and an opportunity to experience the best of contemporary art.
Artissima will run November 3–5, 2023, at Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy.