After Frieze and FIAC, Artissima is the last European art fair in the autumn frenzy of art fairs. It is also a vibrant art fair in a beautiful setting in the capital of the Piedmont province. The fair’s date in autumn is well chosen: autumn is colorful and atmospheric in Piedmont, and, of course, it is the season of truffles.
What was said in 2013 is still fully valid (see Slow Art and Slow Food in Torino). In particular, the fair is not a place of rush. Visitors are curious, but take their time to wander around, to assess, and possibly to acquire. Artissima is well known for its “Back to the Future” section in which overlooked positions, mainly from the ’60s and ’70s, are showcased. Artissima was probably the first international art fair to introduce this kind of section and to give exposure to forgotten—or nearly forgotten—perspectives (many other fairs have meanwhile introduced similar sections). At this year’s Artissima, several surprising artist statements from the ’60s and ’70s were presented again, for example the original and highly autonomous work of Swiss artist Klaus Lutz, shown by Rotwand Gallery from Zurich.
Another section of the fair is “Present Future”. Here, young artists and galleries are invited by curators. Directed by the curator Luigi Fassi, this certainly is a highlight of the fair. Positioned in the entrance area area, the curation and presentation is appealing and inviting— very different from what is stereotypically understood as an “art fair”. The section offers the possibility to discover new positions and is loved by visitors. This year’s Present Future Illy Prize was awarded to Cecily B. Evans, presented by Barbara Seiler from Zurich.
The “New Entries” section features galleries new to Artissima, for example MadeIn Gallery from Shanghai, whose booth with Miao Ying, Shen Xin, and Lu Pingyuan received much praise and attention. Overall at the fair, video art was spread widely; it seems galleries take more risks at Artissima in showing video art than at other art fairs. It is known that Torino hosts some very serious private collectors for video art as well as institutions that collect video art. An impressive video presentation was staged by KOW from Berlin, showing works by German video artist Clemens von Wedemeyer.
