Released on: September 18, 2007, 9:09 am

Press Release Author: Arte Communications

Industry:

Press Release Summary: 10. International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations

Press Release Body: 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

China
Hu Xiangcheng, Li Chen,
Shi Jinsong, Xiang Jing

Cyprus
Kyriakos Kallis

Finland
Pasi Eerik Karjula

France
Ariane Michel, Frédérique Nalbandian

Georgia
Tamara Kvesitadze

Germany
Iris Brosch and Fiora Gandolfi

Great Britain
Michael Lyons

India
Kriti Arora, Bharti Kher

Italy
B.zarro, Enzo Castagno,
Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi,
Ferruccio Gard and Maurizio Rosa,
Resi Girardello and Cristina Treppo,
Luigi Masin, Gianfranco Meggiato,
Daniele Nitti Sotres, Marco Nereo Rotelli, Giuseppe Spagnulo, Barbara Taboni,
Antonella Zazzera

Korea
Lee Ufan

Luxembourg
Florence Hoffmann

The Netherlands
Jackie Sleper

Romania
Martin-Emilian Balint

Republic of San Marino
Leonardo Blanco

Switzerland
Heinz Aeschlimann

U.S. Virgin Islands
Cornelia Kubler Kavanagh

USA
Christo and Jeanne-Claude,
Carole A. Feuerman, John Henry,
Beverly Pepper, Daniel Rothbart

USA/China
Shan-Shan Sheng

Finnish Academy of Fine Arts
Jukka Rusanen, Antti Majava,
Sampo Malin


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