Feedback release: CONTEMPORARY VENICE 2021
Venice | February 01 – 21, 2021
THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space | Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello

ITSLIQUID Group, in collaboration with Venice Events and ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association, announces CONTEMPORARY VENICE 2021 – ITSLIQUID International Art Fair, international exhibition of photography, painting, video art, installation/sculpture and performance art, that took place in Venice at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space and at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, from February 01 to February 21, 2021, with the participation of more than 110 artists from more than 30 countries.

This is the seventh edition of CONTEMPORARY VENICE – ITSLIQUID International Art Fair and it was about the theme of IDENTITIES and the relationship between man, society and contemporary cities. It was an exploration between human lifestyles and ways of being, that both reflect and at the same time modify personal identities. The previous editions were organized in prestigious venues and historical buildings in Venice, like Palazzo Dolfin Bollani, Palazzo Flangini and Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi, and as well as this one invited the artists to present artworks related to this concept.

At THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space, Erwin Blase from Germany, with more than 30 years of experience as a photographer, showed us his gaze on Venice reflecting the daily life in different situations, in a documentary way, with strong contrasts of light and shadows. Liz Stubbs and the encaustic fine artist Penny Treese, a collaborative duo from the USA, in their colorful photos explore the conscious expression of our soul language in our physical form: they celebrate harmony and vitality. The Canarian self-taught fine art photographer Fares Micue surprised us with one of her most beautiful self-portraits. She constantly plays with her image and body, creating fantastic conceptual sceneries featuring saturated colors and characteristic props like flowers, plants, origami, or balloons to narrate a whole story in a single frame. Her “Room to grow” photo tells that we are all seeds and we have room to grow, room to improve, expand and be ourselves.

We also hosted Majda Zorko, Gera O’Shio and Kojun, who aims to recreate a “tokonoma”, the typical alcove in traditional homes in Japan, where people use to meditate in. In particular, his project was composed of three pedestals with hekikan viewing machines in front of three silk scrolls hanging on the wall: looking through the viewing machines, the visitors could see peaceful images, representing nature and the theme of existence.

At Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello we presented with great pleasure the beautiful photographs of Vittorio Sancipriano: he is a young Italian doctor, graduated in Medicine in March 2020, just after the pandemic started, and he was hired together with sixteen peers to build a Covid-19 ward from scratch within a hospital still under construction. With his photo reportage, he showed us the ‘behind the scene’ of these months. Through the tired faces of his colleagues, he focused his attention on the fact that since every part of the body lost its own communication skills, the eyes established themselves as the only point of access to the soul.

The works of Sebastian Hoyos and Valentin Pfeifhofer made us wonder about travels and life experiences. Sebastian Hoyos is a young painter from France, and in his canvases expresses his vision clearly: each work is a conversation with the others and takes him as well as the viewer into a voyage. In the amazing photos of South Tyrolean artist Valentin Pfeifhofer, instead, the focus is the landscape, mostly untouched natural settings. It’s an urgent need for him, to raise awareness of the unique beauty of our planet. Also, the huge bronze and stainless steel sculptures of Hungarian artist Ágnes Nagy talked us about nature: they all represented animals in a realistic way, but at a closer look they seemed also transformed by the symbolic meaning they have. The huge photos of the young Chinese artist Yiran (Rachel) Wang enriched the walls of the Sala Della Pace, while the nine canvases of Erwin Rios, from Austria, with their colors and imagination fascinated the visitors and made them reflect about social and political issues.

The seventh edition of CONTEMPORARY VENICE 2021 also comprehended a great video screening program, with more than 15 artists from all over the world, like for example Shaun Wilson from Australia, Micaela Aljovìn from Perù, Kathrin Schweizer from Switzerland, Sanja Vatić from Slovenia, Daniel Cevallos Andrade from Ecuador, Elena Gastón Nicolás from the USA and many more. We hosted also three live performances by the Italian performers Enrico Pulcinelli, Daniele Zen & Vernante Pallotti and Federica De Francesco, which played with their bodies, their identities, the music and the space of the venue of Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

organized by ITSLIQUID Group
curator Luca Curci
in collaboration with ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association, Goethe Institut, Venice Events
project manager Giulia Tassi
project coordinators Amaride Ferrante, Veronica Piras, Giulia Spagnuolo
collaborators Beatrice Scalella
graphic designer Marina Caracciolo
supported by AVA | CASAGRANDE OY ARKKITEHDIT INSINÖÖRIT | CHORONI BAR&RESTAURANT LATINO | HUB DESIGN | L’ OSMOZ | LIONS KLUB LJUBLJANA | METGEN | SEXTEN/SESTO TOURIST OFFICE | 12PM | TEMPORARY ATMOSPHERES

VENUES
THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space
Calle Larga San Marco, 374 – 30124 Venice, Italy
February 01 – February 21, 2021
09:30 AM – 05:30 PM | Monday – Friday

Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello
Cannaregio 4118 – 30121 Venice, Italy
February 01 – February 21, 2021
10:00 AM – 06:00 PM | Monday – Friday

Click here to read more about the press release
Click here to see the photo full reportage

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COVID-19 Protection Concept – ITSLIQUID Group

The health and safety of our staff and visitors are of predominant importance to ITSLIQUID Group. This Protection Concept governs how we intend to operate after Italy’s lockdown has ended, the rules that will be applied inside the exhibition spaces and how these will be implemented in practice. Read more.

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ABOUT US

ITSLIQUID is a web based information platform, founded in 2001 by Luca Curci, dedicated to world wide 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, media partnerships services.

During the last 20 years, ITSLIQUID Group has became a cultural hub between creatives, exhibition spaces and art lovers. Among our international partners, Art Now Fair, Art Vancouver, Design Tokyo, INDEX Qatar, INDEX Saudi, The Big 5 Construct Dubai, The Big 5 Construct Qatar, Photo LA Los Angeles and international magazines like Art Style. ITSLIQUID Group supports some of the most important no-profit organizations, like UNFCCC – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, SSCS – Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, One Tree Planted, The Ocean CleanUp and Plastic Oceans, with the goal to increase public awareness about environmental issues. Click here to find out more.

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, 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 the London city center 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, USA, Canada, 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.

ITSLIQUID is based on fluidity, motion, connection and accessibility. Making things easy to do. Welcome.

OUR LOCATIONS

THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space, located in San Marco square, in the heart of Venice is available to host solo show and group exhibitions of the most talented emerging and established artists, designers and architects selected by our professional team among the numerous show participation requests.

Overlooking the unique San Marco square, THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space presents a rich program of exhibitions, talks, meetings, workshops and courses about art, architecture, design and fashion with architects, designers, artists, collectors, art critics, curators, dealers, and other personalities of the International art, architecture and design world. Being part of our program is an exciting opportunity to improve your network and get new inspirations.

THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space is a fascinating and prestigious venue where our professional team will be at your disposal to assist you, offering a unique exhibition experience, giving you the opportunity to display your artworks in Venice, one of the most suggestive cities in the art world, and broadening your artistic career and exhibition background.

Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello is one of the most known palaces of the Renaissance in Venice. It is an historical building dated 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 furnitures that enrich 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, 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 held some festivals and exhibitions in Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, as MORPHOS Festival and FUTURE IDENTITIES Festival, both in 2014.