Open 10
Press conference
30th August 2007 at 12.00 / Hotel Des Bains
Performance by the artist Iris Brosch
30th August 2007 at 4.00 pm / Blue Moon
Inauguration cocktail party
30th August 2007 at 7.00 pm / Nicelli Airport
Open to the public
31st August – 14th October 2007
Location
Open-air spaces at Venice Lido: Piazzale and Gran Viale S. Maria Elisabetta, Tempio Votivo, Via Lepanto, Lungomare G. Marconi, Parco Hotel Des Bains, Blue Moon, Terrace / Hall Hotel The Westin Excelsior
Organization
Arte Communications, Venice
Joint Organization
Venice City Council, Department of Cultural Production
From 30 August to 14 October, in the open-air spaces at Venice Lido, OPEN, the International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations, celebrates its first ten years. Ten years of sculptures, installations, happenings and performances, showing how art can invade the outside environment to attract the observer, capturing his gaze and cheering his soul. A stage, a point of arrival and of starting off again, more conscious and more severe but always in line with the philosophy of its curator and founder, Paolo De Grandis. In fact, contrary to other yearly events, from which one might always expect something new, OPEN proposes its linearity, its integration and its introductory character, aspects that have matured thanks to the simplicity of the basic idea and to the exhibition context offered by the open-air spaces at Venice Lido: territories to explore, focal points for exchange and confrontation, choreographic spaces often left open so that they can be transformed, places where the visitor can ideally negotiate the contents of the works on display, in both physical and mental terms. Curators of international repute have been also involved, among them Achille Bonito Oliva, Alanna Heiss, Chang Tsong-zung and Vincenzo Sanfo. So, this offers a really special opportunity for comparison and dialogue between artists, curators and institutions in order to valorise contemporary culture and give space to artistic creativity from all over the world. As always, OPEN combines the presence of important artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Lee Ufan, John Henry, Beverly Pepper and historic figures of contemporary art such as Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi and Giuseppe Spagnulo, with the works of already recognised, talented young artists such as Daniele Nitti Sotres, Antonella Zazzera and Enzo Castagno, while also continuing to present promising artists whose talent has still to be discovered. The successful formula of the Academies continues with the presence of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts. Again, this year the presence of Asiatic artists is particularly numerous and feature work by Hu Xiangcheng, Li Chen, Shi Jinsong, Xiang Jin and Shan-Shan Sheng. As every year, all the artists have been completely won over by the magic of OPEN, where each detail is the fruit of a profound collaboration between space, art, territory; this year too, they have created works designed especially for the occasion. Art is therefore declined in all its variations, from the most severe essence to light-hearted entertainment with the performance by Iris Brosch and the intervention of B.zarro. This tenth edition is a proof of growth. Forty-eight artists have been tackled the challenge to organise and reformulate the concept of art in the open air. On the confines of philosophy, art is fragmented into multilayered visions in which energy is consumed at the limit of its possibilities. Furthermore, Arte Communications organises the seventh edition of the OPEN prize. The prize will be awarded to a director taking part in the 64. Venice International Film Festival whose work reveals, in an unprecedented way, a fruitful interest in the fascinating theme of the mutual interaction between art and cinema, two art forms which live on image and are nourished by the desire to express emotions (the awarding ceremony will take place on Saturday 8th September, 3 pm, Palazzo del Casinò – Sala Perla, Venice Lido). OPEN is organised by Arte Communications and is jointly organised by the Department of Culture of the Venice City Council under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of the Cultural Heritage, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Veneto Region, the Province of Venice and Venice City Council. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue available daily from the Infopoint in Lido at the Lungomare G. Marconi (in front of the Hotel Des Bains) from 31/08 to 10/09 h. 10.00 am – 7.00 pm; from 11/09 to 14/10 h. 11.00 am – 5.00 pm; in Venice, Riva San Biagio, Castello 2145 (Arsenale) daily h. 10.00 am – 6.00 pm.
The graphic concept of OPEN has been realised by Studio Camuffo.
Curators
Achille Bonito Oliva, Alanna Heiss, Chang Tsong-zung, Paolo De Grandis, Vincenzo Sanfo, Pilvi Kalhama, Enrico Pedrini, Zhang Qing, Bruno Grossetti, Daniele Crippa, Naomi Evans, Konstantinos Yeoryiou, David Andriadze, Gianluca Marziani, Gloria Vallese, Leone Jannuzzi, Giampaolo Trotta, Art – St – Urban, John T. Spike, Ken Rollins, Margery Gordon.
Participating Artists
Argentina
Eduardo Pla
Australia
Lindy Lee
Bulgaria
Christo e Jeanne-Claude
Cina
Hu Xiangcheng, Li Chen
Shan Shan Sheng,
Shi Jinsong, Xiang Jin
Cipro
Kyriakos Kallis
Corea
Lee Ufan
Finlandia
Pasi Eerik Karjula
Francia
Ariane Michel,
Fréderique Nalbandian
Georgia
Tamara Kvesitadze
Germania
Iris Brosch
Gran Bretagna
Michael Lyons
India
Kriti Arora, Bharti Kher
Isole Vergini Statunitensi
Cornelia Kubler Kavanagh
Italia
B.zarro, Enzo Castagno,
Sandro Chia,
Ferruccio Gard e Maurizio Rosa, Resi
Girardello e Cristina Treppo, Luigi Masin,
Gianfranco Meggiato, Marco Nereo Rotelli,
Daniele Nitti Sotres, Giuseppe Spagnulo,
Barbara Taboni, Antonella Zazzera
Lussemburgo
Florence Hoffmann
Paesi Bassi
Jackie Sleper
Romania
Martin-Emilian Balint
Repubblica di San Marino
Leonardo Blanco
Svizzera
Heinz Aeschlimann
USA
Carole A. Feuerman, John Henry, Beverly
Pepper, Daniel Rothbart
Finnish Academy of Fine Arts
Jukka Rusanen, Antti Majava,
Sampo Malin
special thanks to
Starwood Hotels & Resorts –
Hotel The Westin Excelsior
Hotel Des Bains
Grand Hotel Ausonia e Hungaria
Blue Moon-Green House Alberoni
Hotel Villa Mabapa
Vesta S.p.a.
Luca Ballarin
Endar
Clear Channel Jolly Pubblicità
Jgpdecaux Milano
Venezia News
Pierluigi Morasco, Broker di Assicurazioni
Tosetto Allestimenti
Visual Culture Research Center, China Art Academy
Hanart T Z Gallery
Galerie Enrico Navarra
Grossetti Arte Contemporanea
Asia Art Center
Berengo Studio, Murano
La Biennale di Venezia
Ministry of Education ond Culture, Cyprus
Finnish Academy of Fine Arts
Il Gazzettino
La Nuova di Venezia e Mestre
Guestinvenice.com
Il Portale di Venezia