We are at the 48th edition of Arte Fiera in Bologna, the longest-running modern and contemporary art fair in Italy. The first edition was born around a core of 10 galleries and was held in June 1974. Passersby observed the paintings while enjoying an ice cream. Now we are in the cold winter Bologna with a remarkable 176 galleries and 50,000 registered attendees!
What stands out about this fair compared to Artissima and Miart? It presents a more domestic, quality dimension. The artists are international, but the majority of the galleries are of Italian origin, with some notable exceptions. The director Simone Menegoi has titled this edition Scena Italia. Next year, the baton will pass to the expert in new generation painting Davide Ferri, a critic and independent curator. The fair is divided into 2 pavilions, one focused on modern and one on contemporary.
What are the sections of ArteFiera
In the galleries of the Main Section, those that have joined the “Percorso” section alternate, exploring the concept of “Community: not ‘I’ but ‘we'”. Therefore, there are 4 curated sections. Photography and moving images is coordinated, for the third consecutive year, by Giangavino Pazzola, associate curator of Camera (Turin). The section is structured as an observatory on emerging trends, related to historical recoveries. Painting XXI follows the format and selection of Davide Ferri. Multiples deals with edition works and their reproducibility. It is under the guidance of the critic and art historian Alberto Salvadori. Perspective, new entry of 2025, offers to draw from the source of emerging art. Both recently opened galleries and entities that have been working for years have joined, providing space for monographs of young artists. The curatorship has been entrusted, in this case, to Michele D’Aurizio, a curator and critic active between Italy and the USA.
The Main section of ArteFiera of the contemporary Pavilion: Pinksummer
The absolute novelty this year is the work, presented by Pinksummer (Genoa), by Anna Scalfi Eghenter (1965). It is the first time that the artist from Trentino is represented by a gallery. The artist will be at the Berlin Biennale. The word “Comunista” can be read, which derives from the title of the work Communio pro indiviso. It is composed of a good 285 pixels (neon). Each collector can purchase only a single pixel, for the value of 7000 euros. Another work by Scalfi Eghenter represents the percentage of women represented in the parliaments of Europe, America, and China. For this reason, the flags are cut creating a truly meager vertical strip. The gap in female presence occupying the seats of power becomes immediately evident. Cost? 35,000 for the 3 flags together, 15,000 for a single flag. Yes, the Italian one is also for sale… hoping its surface is greater than a filament.
The artist also inaugurated a solo exhibition on September 19 at Ar/Ge Kunst Bolzano.
Galleria Continua and Raffaella Cortese
One immediately notices Galleria Continua with the work Liggende – arcangelo 3 by the Belgian Berlinde de Bruyckere, 350,000 euros of beauty and violence (both the price and the work are a blow to the heart). A beautiful collage of hers offered is more accessible, valued at 45,000 euros.
Tree House by Hans Op De Beeck is offered at 90,000 euros.
At Raffaella Cortese, Barbara Bloom (1951, Los Angeles, is 83 years old) stands out as she translates a poem by André Gide into braille on a tapestry worth 35,000. The composition describes the feeling of happiness given by a clear sky, the contemplation of the visible, and the thought of the invisible. The paintings of Albanian Edi Hila (1944) depict a landscape that, starting from the bull and bear of the Balkan War of the nineties, fades into the abstract. Additionally, there are works by Francesco Arena, Silvia Bächli, and Monica Bonvicini on the Environmental Disasters of the Rhine (which sell well).
ZERO…
We move from Zero… It presents a wall by Cally Spooner, the title is Screen Test for the Psoas Muscle. The painted wall aims to freeze the state of stress related to the hyper-performativity of contemporary man, constantly connected. The Psoas, in fact, is a muscle between the kidneys and hips that regulates emotions. It cannot be controlled and affects movements. It is only felt when it is not well; otherwise, it is latent. It regulates movement in horizontal, vertical, and circular directions. A small treasure stands out on this wall: it is a very small painting (14 x 10 cm) by Marta Naturale that deceives the eye, it looks like a photograph: Tetti (V) 8,000 euro!
Adam Gordon (1986, Minneapolis) immediately sells one of his paintings depicting a disturbing doll-child for a value of around 15,000.
The work of Franco-Tunisian Alex Ayed, at 8,000 euros, an assemblage according to an aesthetic that starts from elements of everyday life – in this case, Marseille soap with an encapsulated insect – is immediately sold.
The Roman Galleries, The Gallery Apart
The Gallery Apart (Ostiense area) presents works by Cesare Petroiusti ranging from 12,000 to 15,000 and works that are part of a series of 50: frames featuring tiles cut from a single 500 euro banknote. Individually, the cost is 2,800 euros. Then, the strongly political works of Chto Delat, a Russian collective of 11 people, almost all exiles from Saint Petersburg as dissidents. They are poets, journalists, and artists. Some of the works presented are part of the “Zapatista Trilogy” like the tapestry representing the map of Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico bordering Guatemala.
The Roman galleries, Matèria
Matèria, a Roman gallery based in San Lorenzo, will soon turn 10 years old. To celebrate, it opens on February 13 with a group exhibition of works on paper. Monitor and Gilda Lavia are also participating in this special day.
Marta Mancini is present at the fair with a new cycle of paintings where the color schemes are unusual for the artist’s palette (pastel shades are also present) and the small brushstrokes overlap. Here the artist also plays with formats – in the “Molle” series, the vertical format of the canvases dominated. The price range goes from 1,800 to 2,300 for the smaller canvases.
Maïmouna Guerresi (Vicenza, 1951) is an internationally renowned artist, whose works are in prestigious collections such as LACMA in Los Angeles, Palazzo Forti in Verona, and MIA in Minneapolis. Her tapestry is offered at 15,000, while the photograph (in edition) at 4,800. The work of Giuseppe De Mattia, Invidioso at 3,800 euros, is in wood and papier-mâché.
Tucci Russo, Spazio A, Prometeo Gallery, Umberto Di Marino
At Tucci Russo we notice a Gilberto Zorio from 2024 at 195,000 euros. At Spazio A a new work by Chiara Camoni – strong from the latest solo exhibition at Hangar Bicocca and international presence. Cost? 18,000 plus VAT. Prometeo Gallery by Ida Pisani focuses on the tapestries of the artist and dissident Zehra Dogan. She is in good company: Giuseppe Stampone, Silvia Giambrone, and Luca Bertolo.
In the stand of Galleria Umberto Di Marino (Naples) stands out a work by Eugenio Tibaldi that reflects on the impact of architecture that influences the economy and territorial aesthetics.
The faces of Chiara Calore by Giovanni Bonelli and the geopolitical stand of Giampaolo Abbondio
Three large-scale works by the artist Chiara Calore, female faces where flowers and insects settle, dominate the booth of Galleria Giovanni Bonelli.
Giampaolo Abbondio curates a markedly geopolitical stand. It showcases a chilling piece: a paper depicting various weapons, created by Pino Pascali in 1960 (private negotiation, around 100,000 euros). Around this work revolve other pieces that play on the idea of weapons as objects of desire, on power, and on the delusion of omnipotence. Robert Gligorov, with a vitrified image, represents the Chinese flag and the contradictions of the State (15,000 plus VAT). Ofri Cnaani (1975), Israeli, presents Oriental Landscapes, a series that transforms Palestine into a tourist destination through the now obsolete but symbolic idea of the postcard.
The Solo Show of Artefiera, Traffic and Magazzeno
Traffic (Bergamo) stands out for its ultracontemporary language. The booth is entirely dedicated to Hyun Cho (studied in Sydney). The Korean artist has made a name for herself both for the recent residency at Palazzo Monti (Brescia) and for the residency at Via Farini (Milan). She works by “stealing” symbols from the urban landscape. She creates digital sculptures with added Las Vegas-style LEDs, writings in the form of “breaking news,” slogans from pop and punk songs like “Ask my daddy” and “Hunky Funky.” She has also exhibited in the spaces of the Bergamo gallery. The aesthetics also impress with the impactful nature of the color.
Also, Magazzeno (Bologna) opts for a solo show, and the choice proves to be successful. Giovanni Ceruti (Florence, 2000), in his final year at the Academy of Fine Arts, captures attention. The works, ranging from 1800 to 5500 (2.5 x 1.60 meters), have been successfully sold!
The Milanese Nashira Gallery and Ipercubo
From Nashira Gallery (Milan) a solo show by Andrea Grotto The tail of the eye. The prices range between 3000 and 7,500. The artist starts from the phenomenon of peripheral vision that leads us towards what is hidden, between reality and imagination, to investigate what lies beyond the shadow and the silence.
From Ipercubo a selection of poetic works by Almudena Romero (Madrid, 1986; lives in London) that impresses the photographs of her hands and those of her grandmother on the surface of the leaves. She uses an ancient technique that exploits chlorophyll. 7 works have been sold at the fair and others are under negotiation. Prices range from 1,800 for the smaller leaves to 10,600 for Studies on my grandma’s garden.
The solo shows of the Romans Monti8 and Unosunove
Monti8, one of the new Roman galleries opened in the San Lorenzo district, presents a booth on stereotypes related to homosexuality. Pacifico Silano, an artist from Brooklyn, starts from the forced removal, in the family album, of images of the homosexual uncle. An installation of 5 shots is offered at 4,700 euros.
At Unosunove, the pictorial language of tiles and pixels by Luca Grimaldi triumphs, with good appeal also for collectors. The price range goes from 1,800 for the small painting depicting a banknote to 11,000 for the iron. Sold works include those representing a broccoli, a pyramid of eggs, one of the “Cancelli”, free beaches frequented by the Romans, between Ostia and Torvaianica.
We will see in the next in-depth analysis the galleries present in the modern pavilion.
She has collaborated for many years with art magazines such as Artribune, XIBT Contemporary, ArtApp, Insideart and Espoarte, preferring contemporary art in its many facets and media drifts.
