Exhibition review: VISIONS – CANVAS INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2023
Venice | April 07 – April 24, 2023
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello
ITSLIQUID Group, in collaboration with ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association, is delighted to share the outstanding success of the opening of VISIONS, third appointment of CANVAS INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2023, an international exhibition of photography, painting, video art, installation/sculpture and performance art, held in Venice, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello from April 07 to April 24.
Click here to read more about the press release
Click here to see the photo full reportage
The word “canvas” was used for the first time in Italy in the 14th century and it has become the most common support medium for oil painting, replacing wooden panels. Over the centuries, the canvas’ meaning has changed, starting from paintings, through photographic and cinematographic film, exploring the human body, to the digital world. Canvas is the creatives’ common ground, on which they can express themselves. We invite all the artists to share their personal artistic research through any kind of media, from painting to sculptures and installation, from photography to video art and live performance.
VISIONS aims to explore all different facets of the social, physical and cultural identities of our contemporary society. Every day we deal with a multitude of different identities and roles: we face public life creating and adapting our social identities, our body and aesthetic tastes modify and are modified by our physical and sexual identities, our whole being evolves as well as contemporary cultures and modern cities do in order to create new compound and exchange possibilities for new “liquid identities” in “liquid cities“.
At the opening event on 07 April, we had the pleasure of welcoming numerous visitors and artists to our premises, Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello. The concept of the art fair was pleasantly enhanced by the ballet dancer and choreographer Matteo Gavazzi who opened the exhibition with the performance “Rime”, during which two dancers recounted a form of poetry through dance. They performed over a special sound carpet that produces music upon their prompting.
The opening night also featured a performance by Greek artist Niki Zahari. In her performance “The House of Memory” Niki addressed the theme of the link between present and past. The good and bad memories of life. The artist starts from personal experiences and elements of the present, which she assembles and redefines in the present time, creating a dialogue between memories and objects that allow the body to remember.
The third and immensely immersive performance hosted at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello was by the Icelandic artist Christalena Hughmanick, entitled “The Truth Guide For A Beginner’s Mind®”. Through measured physical contact with the sculptures, visitors were involved in the construction of a unified, collective intention from a space beyond their bodies. Christalena articulated the energetic conditions of the space around us, to find the tools necessary to achieve a true state of out-of-body whiteness.
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello welcomed a great number of artists who tackled the theme of the various sides of social, physical and cultural identities in our contemporary society. The Australian artist Leonie Robison reflects through her paintings on species loss and environmental degradation. In the words of the artist, “As a race, Humans need to adapt our vision of the world, realize we are a part of nature, not separate from it. Our social, physical, and cultural identities depend on this”. The Swiss artist couple Fabienne Gähwiler and Mario Gisler, stage name GislerGähwiler, focus on the new and the unknown. For this reason, looking at their work can be very intimate and unknown at the same time. The viewer is invited to enter their orbit and dive into the oscillating ocean of light and space.
In terms of digital art and photographic manipulation, one must mention the art of Robert Falcone in whose works emerges the concept of ‘Joile Laide’ (beautiful-ugly) and the idea of finding beauty in the decay and degradation of the often dilapidated windows and facades that the artist photographed in Burano. Specializing in abstract expressionism, the American artist Christopher Paul Miller draws inspiration from the fire burning in his soul to create works that reflect his inner emotions. His emotions are orchestrated on canvas like a self-portrait. His story is like a blank canvas waiting to evolve with unlimited possibilities of what is yet to come. Similarly, Henk van Vessem‘s paintings are characterized by expressiveness and dynamism. His grandiose gesture works with strongly contrasting colours in his canvases.
On the other hand, the concept of the exhibition was well conveyed by Alina Hermann, from Germany, who creates abstract mixed media paintings to open a portal into another world and channel a sense of freedom. Through her paintings, Alina tries to find a balance between chaos and calm, excitement and relaxation. Curious by nature, all the explorations of Laurent Martinez, in art Fadiese, have fuelled his creativity. With a head full of ideas and a true ecological conscience, he uses recycled materials to which he gives new life. He devotes himself to the contemporary and abstract to leave people feeling more sensitive than the figurative.
organized by ITSLIQUID Group
curator Luca Curci
in collaboration with ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association | GOETHE INSTITUT
project manager Giulia Tassi
project coordinators Maria Teresa Cafarelli, Amaride Ferrante
collaborators Eleonora Cerasoli, Melis Di Gennaro, Guenda Mai, Giulia Morroni, Seher Muhtar, Annachiara Recchia
graphic designers Marina Caracciolo, Maria Ilaria Rutigliano
supported by GROUPE B.M.A – B.B.A | JULS ARTS | SHORTJAW BREWING | WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY
VENUE
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello
Associazione Culturale Italo-Tedesca (ACIT)
First floor
Cannaregio, 4118, Venice, Italy
April 07 – April 24, 2023
09:30 AM – 05: 30 PM | Monday – Friday
ABOUT US
ITSLIQUID is a web-based information platform, founded in 2001 by Luca Curci, dedicated to the worldwide distribution of information about calls for entries, exhibitions and events at some of the world’s leading art galleries, museums and foundations selected. ITSLIQUID has already built a readership of more than 250.000 qualified subscribers. Among them architects, designers, artists, collectors, art critics, curators, dealers, and other personalities of the International art, architecture and design world. It provides advertising services, press office services for events and projects, articles and specials published on the website, and media partnerships services.
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ITSLIQUID GROUP includes a section dedicated to the organization of international art events, managing exhibitions of painting, photography, video art, installation and performance; it organizes solo and collective shows, art residencies and international contests. Its object is to use new technologies to globalize the language of art, and to connect artists working in every part of the world.
ITSLIQUID Group manages a variety of art spaces all over the world; among them THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space in the heart of San Marco Square in Venice and different historical buildings, THE LINE Contemporary Art Space in London city centre and other different partners worldwide. Since its beginning, the group has organized more than 250 events all around the world, involving more than 5.000 artists, in more than 60 international venues in Italy, the USA, Canada, the UK, Spain, France, etc. Most of the last events have been realized in museums (CCCB – Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona in Spain, NCCA – National Center for Contemporary Arts in Moscow, etc.), galleries and private foundations.
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OUR LOCATION
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello is one of the most known palaces of the Renaissance in Venice. It is a historical building dating back to the 16th century, and it has been owned by several noble Venetian families, as demonstrated by the frescoed ceilings, the artistic stuccos and the fine furniture that enriches its rooms. The Palace welcomes visitors with its beautiful private garden on the ground floor, and then it gathers the guests in its large first-floor salons, in which past and present dialogue together. The restored Old Masters’ frescoes and the contemporary art masterpieces that are periodically shown in the exhibitions hosted here, make Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello the perfect location for the balance between old and new, between ancient environment and contemporary art, architecture and design.
Today the building is managed by ACIT Venice – the Italian-German Cultural Association – which is considered one of the most important intercultural associations in Europe. Thanks to the ACIT unceasing cultural activity, Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello has nowadays frequent collaborations with the Goethe Institute and with other local and international institutions, maintaining its ancient reputation. Because of these relations, it presents a huge program of memorable art exhibitions, conferences, congresses and concerts. Among the last institutional exhibitions, is its participation in the 58th Venice Biennale with the Guatemala pavilion, the Dominican Republic pavilion and the Grenada pavilion. ITSLIQUID Group already had the pleasure to hold some festivals and exhibitions in Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, such as MORPHOS Festival and FUTURE IDENTITIES Festival, both in 2014.