In this interview, we talk about the newly established Associazione per l’Arte e Più (AA+) for the promotion of art in all its forms, with particular attention to contemporary art. We learn from Lorenzo Nissim – President of the Associazione per l’Arte e Più – and Massimo Belli – its Artistic Director – what it is about. Lorenzo Nissim is the founder of BIM Italy (IBIMI) – buildingSMART, which deals with the Digitalization of the construction sector and Electronic modeling of building information. Massimo Belli is an art historian and independent curator. Among the founders is also Jodie Petrosino, who was the Gallery Manager of the Roman Galleria Mattia De Luca and previously of the important Galleria Lia Rumma founded in Naples in 1971 and later expanded to Milan.
The mission of the Association AA+
How is the AA+ association organized and what is its mission?
Lorenzo Nissim – The Association for Art and More (AA+) is a non-profit organization that was created with the aim of promoting and enhancing art in all its forms, with particular attention to contemporary art. Our main mission is to create connections between artists, institutions, collectors, art dealers, and the public, providing opportunities for collaboration and growth for all players in the art world. Our internal organization includes a structure composed of a Members’ Assembly and a Board of Directors with a President, who is responsible for representing the association and coordinating its activities. The Board of Directors is the executive body of the AA+ Association, responsible for managing and implementing the association’s strategies and activities. It is composed of members elected by the Members’ Assembly and is tasked with making decisions on various operational aspects, including financial planning, approval of new members, organization of events and projects, and supervision of the general activity of the association. We strongly believe in the value of participation and in creating a dynamic and inclusive artistic community, capable of also offering social and cultural support to disadvantaged or disabled people.
The headquarters of the Association AA+
How will you utilize the headquarters of the association?
Massimo Belli – The headquarters of the Association, a house on the top floor of an ancient building in Via del Colosseo 62, is a place of work and meeting in direct connection with our curatorial vocation. One could imagine AA+ as a body with two souls: one that gives life to external projects of curatorship, logistics, and setting up of art events, and the other that activates the internal part of the association, the more intimate and private aspect of our work. These two souls find their point of contact precisely in our headquarters, from which all curatorial and logistical projects for third parties start, but where, at the same time, our private way of living art also finds its place.
The projects of the Association already started: The Smart House and the exhibition of Felice Levini at the Mattatoio
What are the projects already started?
Massimo Belli – The first project that involved this space, which we launched on February 20, is called “The Smart House”: for over a month, the space hosts the works of an artist who is given free rein to transform the house in the image and likeness of their work. Once the artist has “taken over” the house, we work on organizing an inaugural evening and other informal occasions where we invite friends, collectors, artists, curators, journalists, and enthusiasts to spend some time with us and the artist to experience the works and tell the story that generated them. The first guest of this format was Michele Iodice, who with great generosity—given his forty-year career and international stature—participated with a series of works from his recent exhibition at the MANN in Naples. This link was born from the strong relationship of esteem that binds the artist to our Vice President and Head of Relations and Project Management Jodie Petrosino. We were hosted in Naples by the artist himself and visited his studio, his places, and his home, which exude a career of dedication and love for an artistic practice of great contemporaneity and classical ancestry. We did not struggle to find the synergy that allowed us to set up, thus, the first appointment of “The Smart House,” “Ring Iodice.” Earlier, I spoke of two souls of AA+, this event certainly reflects the more intimate, internal side of our work; the other half, to date, is certainly well represented by the exhibition that the Association produced in collaboration with Azienda Speciale Palaexpo at the Mattatoio: Felice Levini. Designing Chaos.
The involvement of the AA+ Association in the realization of Felice Levini’s solo exhibition
What was the role of the association in the curation and realization of Felice Levini’s exhibition at the Mattatoio?
Massimo Belli – Producing a public exhibition always hides many pitfalls from a logistical perspective, because the management of economic, human, and artistic resources requires numerous and specific steps within the regulatory framework. Thanks to AA+, I had the opportunity to rely on the various expertise available within the association, both through its own members and through the network that has been built in this first year of existence. Felice Levini. Progettare il Caos was, in fact, formally produced by AA+ in collaboration with Azienda Speciale Palaexpo under the driving force of the Department of Culture of Roma Capitale. I would not have been able, on my own—and especially as a non-legal entity—to engage with agility with the other two giants I just mentioned. The collective and cross-competence dimension of AA+ is a results accelerator when it comes to the realization of events related to art.
The economic model and self-sustainability
What is your economic model and how do you want to become sustainable? How do you finance the activities of the association?
Lorenzo Nissim – AA+ is supported through a diversified economic model, which includes various sources of funding. Our main revenues come from:
• Donations and contributions: we receive funds from individuals, companies, institutions, and foundations that support our work and our projects.
• Marginal activities of a commercial and productive nature: we engage in the sale of works of art and editorial products, as well as in the organization of events and services related to the art world by developing and managing sustainable projects, each of which must have a clear economic planning and a well-defined financing model, with qualified managers who ensure its success.
• Sponsorships and partnerships: we collaborate with public and private entities that want to invest in culture and contemporary art, contributing to the realization of innovative initiatives.
To ensure long-term sustainability, we aim for a balance between revenue and costs, reinvesting the profits generated into the association’s activities. Our goal is to create a resilient artistic ecosystem, capable of self-financing through its activities and attracting new growth opportunities, both locally and internationally.
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.
