The International Centre for Research on Contemporary Arts to be presented in New York

On Tuesday December 12^th at 11:30 am (UTC-5), La Biennale di Venezia will present the new International Centre for Research on the Contemporary Arts at the Italian Cultural Institute, directed by Fabio Finotti, in New York.

The speakers on this occasion will feature Roberto Cicutto, President of La Biennale, who will describe the Biennale College project and in particular the recently instituted Colleges of Art and Architecture; Andrea Del Mercato, General Manager of the Institution, will present the structure and organization of La Biennale di Venezia; Debora Rossi, Head of the Historical Archive, will reveal how the International Centre for Research on the Contemporary Arts came into being; Cecilia Alemani, Curator of the Biennale Arte 2022, will speak about what it means to curate an International Art Exhibition, and will review the experience of the first exhibition created with materials from the archives selected by all 6 sitting Artistic Directors in 2020, titled The Disquieted Muses. La Biennale di Venezia Meets History.

THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR RESEARCH ON CONTEMPORARY ARTS

The Centre was founded as a result of the reinforced activities of the Historical Archive of the Contemporary Arts of La Biennale (ASAC), which is currently restoring its new offices inside the Arsenale, adjoining the spaces of the International Exhibitions and the Library in the Giardini. The starting pool consists of the materials preserved at the Historical Archive, which is constantly expanding not only thanks to the activities of La Biennale proper, but also thanks to acquisition of third-party funds that address and take on the challenges of themes tied to the contemporary arts.

The recent acquisitions – Palazzo Grassi/Fiat Funds, Luca Ronconi Fund, Fondazione Luigi Nono Archive, Luca Massimo Barbero Archive, Tullio Kezich Fund, Lorenzo Capellini Fund, Premio Oderzo Archive, Associazione Nuova Icona, Enzo Di Martino Archive – confirm the orientation and programme of the Historical Archive and expand its mission and nature as a place that is increasingly open, vital and generative, with the aim of activating new opportunities for research and of enhancing the donations of artists, by conserving them and placing them at the disposition of young students and passionate researchers.

PROJECTS

The presentation is also an opportunity to report the start of a project developed in collaboration with Universities and Institutes of Higher Learning titled “Geopolitical Map of the artists who participated in the Biennale exhibitions of the past 20 years (1999-2020)”. This research study is a joint effort between students and teachers from various universities (IULM - Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione di Milano, Sapienza Università di Roma, Università IUAV di Venezia, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia and the Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello Venezia) with the ultimate aim of gathering an ordered collection of shared data, which will allow researchers to communicate and expand the confines of their studies.

Within the framework of this new project La Biennale di Venezia, as the producer of International Exhibitions and Festivals of Art, Architecture, Cinema, Dance, Music and Theatre, intends to broaden the dialogue between the curators of the different departments on the themes and contents that have arisen across the history of La Biennale from its foundation to the present day. In parallel, La Biennale has set its aim to develop a two-track study programme: one for pure research that begins with a historical reconstruction and one that investigates the influence on civil society that the development of the arts can produce.

The December 12^th event will also be dedicated to introducing the actions that La Biennale is concretely enacting in the momentous challenge to fight climate change and advance the ecological transition. An initial tangible result in this sense was the achievement of carbon neutrality for the 78^th Venice International Film Festival in 2021: a significant effort, which made the Venice Film Festival the first film festival of this standing to have been certified for achieving a zero balance in a fundamental component of its own environmental impact. Since 2022, the goal of “carbon neutrality” has been achieved in all the events of La Biennale and has been programmed for all the coming editions of its activities and initiatives.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2024

La Biennale di Venezia is pleased to announce the dates of the Exhibitions and Festivals that will take place in 2024 in Venice at the Giardini, Arsenale, Lido, and in other venues in the city and the mainland:

15^th International Kids’ Carnival
1 - 11 February 2024
#BiennaleCarnevale2024

60^th International Art Exhibition
directed by Adriano Pedrosa
20 April - 24 November 2024
#BiennaleArte2024

52^nd International Theatre Festival
15 - 30 June 2024
directed by Stefano Ricci and Gianni Forte
#BiennaleTeatro2024

18^th International Festival of Contemporary Dance
18 July - 3 August 2024
directed by Wayne McGregor
#BiennaleDanza2024

81^st Venice International Film Festival
28 August - 7 September 2024
directed by Alberto Barbera
#BiennaleCinema2024

68^th International Festival of Contemporary Music
26 September - 10 October 2024
directed by Lucia Ronchetti
#BiennaleMusica2024

The Biennale Arte 2024 curated by Adriano Pedrosa, entitled Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, will be presented on Wednesday 31 January in Venice, during a press conference also broadcast live streaming on www.labiennale.org.