Young artists are once again protagonists in Venice with the award ceremony of the fifth edition of the “Artifici del Nostro Tempo” competition. Ribbon cutting this morning at Pavilion 29 in Forte Marghera which will host, until December 31st, the collective of artists under 35, with the works classified in 2nd, 3rd and those ex aequo in 4th place. Also here, in November, will also arrive the works created by the winners of the 1st prize of the exhibition, now exhibited inside the Venice Pavilion as part of the 60th International Art Exhibition.
The fifth edition of “Artifici del Nostro Tempo” invited young artists to respond to the theme “Foreigners everywhere”, the title of the 2024 Art Biennale. Over a thousand participants took part, of which 158 came from non-European countries. Also this year the opening ceremony of the exhibition opened with the award ceremony of the winners: Francesca Maroni for Photography, Cecilia Cocco for Painting, Hasti for Video Art, Thuy Linh Duong for Street Art, Ilaria Bellomo goes to instead the prize for Visual Poetry, Filippo Lucaroni for Comics and Illustration and Yi Li for Glass Design. All the overall winning works of “Artists of our Time”, already part of the exhibition at the Venice Pavilion, will then enrich the collective exhibition of Forte Marghera, to finally enter the permanent collection of the Municipality of Venice for the Ca’ Pesaro Gallery.
The awards ceremony, followed by the ribbon cutting for the inauguration of the exhibition, was attended by the mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro, the scientific director of the Fondazione Musei Civici Chiara Squarcina, the commissioner of the Venice Pavilion Maurizio Carlin, the curator of the “Sestante” exhibition Domestico” Giovanna Zabotti, the director of Development, promotion of the city and protection of traditions and public green spaces Marco Mastroianni, the manager of the Culture Sector Michele Casarin, the manager of the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca’ Pesaro Elisabetta Barisoni and the president of Forte Marghera Stefano Mondini Foundation, as well as some of the representatives of the jury, professionals and personalities from the world of art, culture and university.
At the beginning of his speech, Mayor Brugnaro wanted to remember the Venetian painter Ennio Finzi, one of the protagonists of abstract expressionism and critical painting of the Italian twentieth century, who passed away yesterday: «An important painter of our territory, to whom we have recently dedicated a room at the Ca’ Pesaro Museum to be able to pass on its history and art to our young people. His memory of him, today, is a symbolic passing of the baton so that he can be an inspiration for young artists – he made his debut -. “Artifici del Nostro Tempo” was born from the desire to enhance the talent of young people, the future of Venice also passes through their art and creativity. It is a duty to offer new opportunities to the new generations, this competition is an opportunity to compare oneself, measure one’s qualities, exchange one’s ideas in a fruitful dialogue. Forte Marghera, also thanks to “Artefici del Nostro Tempo”, has today become a collective space for aggregation, a place that is part of the cultural regeneration process that we are carrying out in the city” concluded Brugnaro, recalling among the interventions the inauguration in the next few days of the Vez and the redevelopment projects of the Ex Newspaper Library, the Candiani Cultural Center and the Palaplip.
«Once again, we are preparing to welcome and celebrate the talent of young authors, who bring a breath of fresh air into our exhibition initiatives. I hope that the competition continues to be a beacon for creative youth and a moment of celebration of contemporary art for our territory” is the comment of Mariacristina Gribaudi, president of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.
«”Artefici” forcefully takes us back to rethink that very strong bond between institutions that constitutes the backbone of the young art of our city: the Academy of Fine Arts, Bevilacqua La Masa, Ca’ Pesaro, the Biennale constitute a line of continuity, a succession of life experiences, training and artistic production that does not fear any comparison and on which we must return to consciously reflect and work” added Michele Casarin, director of the Bevilacqua La Masa Institution – Culture Sector of the Municipality of Venice.
“Fortunate and good” are instead the key words of the speech by Giovanna Zabotti, curator of the “Sestante Domestico” exhibition set up at the Venice Pavilion: «Fortunate because you are exhibiting your works in a city that has a particular vision of art and look at you young people with trust and hope. The world needs art and your works help us look to the future with a different gaze.”
«The fifth edition of “Artefici del Nostro Tempo” is the renewed confirmation of the investment in human capital represented by young artists who open their gaze to new frontiers – these are the words of the scientific director of the Fondazione Musei Civici Chiara Squarcina –. It is an event that brings together and networks the talent of young people to all give a voice to the future together.”
Elisabetta Barisoni, head of the Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art, highlighted the quality of the works exhibited in the collective: «They trace the theme of travel, migration and identity, perfectly expressing the theme of the Biennale Arte. I thank the working group who allowed us to confirm the success of the competition. A path based on two pillars: the coherence of those who have been committed to giving voice to young people for five years and the tenacity of the kids who participate in each edition, creating works of great quality.”
The selected works will be published in a special catalog which will be distributed on the occasion of the collective exhibition in Forte Marghera and disseminated online in digital format. “Artists of our time” is a project born from a competition announced by the Municipality of Venice in collaboration with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, Fondazione Forte Marghera, Venis Spa and Vela Spa.
