Feedback release: VENICE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2021
Venice | May 10/11 – June 03, 2021
THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space | Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello

ITSLIQUID Group, in collaboration with Venice Events and ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association, is proud to share the success of VENICE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2021, held in Venice at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space from May 10 to June 03, 2021, and at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello from May 11 to June 03, 2021, with the extraordinary participation of more than 150 artists from more than 40 countries.

Click here to see the photo full reportage

VENICE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR analyzes the relationship between body and space, and the hybridization between identities and cultural, physical, social, urban settings in contemporary time, through two main sections: LIQUID ROOMS and FUTURE LANDSCAPES. LIQUID ROOMS analyzes the hidden parts of our identities, through an immersive experience inside the universe of the complex labyrinths of our consciousness. FUTURE LANDSCAPES section, instead, focuses on the concept of the borders and structures between body, mind and soul, the human identity and the city, space and the ground. Landscapes are abstract, infinite and conceptual spaces, associated with a sense of freedom and infinite extension, which redefine limits and borders, transforming surfaces in an open flow of pure ideas.

On May 10 we opened the doors at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space. Avvassena surprised us with the double light exposure of her particular canvases made of papier-mâché masks. Under a special UV light, in fact, the paintings turn into other images, with symbols and faces that weren’t visible before, and the young Italian artist showed us different layers of the identities. Aly Hegazy, an Egyptian-born artist now living and working in Madrid, in his interview with Luca Curci talked about his graphic works that engage with the complex themes of anthropology, self-discovery, relationships, and the social pressures on both man and women. The four big works of Lize Kruger, from the UK, were very particular: loss, mental health, and abuse are at the forefront of her artistic research. She reminded us that vulnerability should be embraced and cherished.

The French artist Violaine Vieillefond also reflects on the theme of vulnerability but related to cities. She observes the changes in the territories we live in and tries to represent the constant metamorphosis of our world, as in the two paintings exhibited, where there is Venice symbolically submerged by water (paint). This city, for her, is the symbol of the wavering duality between Life and Death, but always with the idea that a renaissance is possible. Nataliya Elmer, from Austria, talked about the reality of the beautiful landscapes she saw in her life and her fantastic dreams inspired her to create colorful and energetic pictures, almost surrealistic. Even the works of the Hungarian Dénes Csasznyi are between fantasy, philosophy and reality. He presented a painting and two sculptures, all focused on the concept of balance and that since nothing is constant, everything in the course of our existence is in an intermediate state.

We presented also the jewelry collection of 13&9 Design, a creative duo from Austria that draws these pieces with a reference to the precise geometry of the ellipse and the hexagon, and that contrasts soft lines with sharp edges, influenced by fashion and architecture. The sculptress Agnes Nagy displayed three of her stainless steel realistic sculptures which represented animals carrying symbolic meanings. Last but not least, Luciana Mende – Argentinian renowned photographer based in Lisbon and London – exhibited one photo from her “The paradox of public nudity” project. She shot this series on nudist beaches, to demonstrate that there is nothing more natural than nudity, and to analyze if it is felt more uncomfortable from the watcher or the watched.

At Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello we welcomed the visitors on May 11. In the morning, the Director Luca Curci had some interesting live interviews with artists coming from various countries. Nebojsa Dimovski from Bosnia and Herzegovina explained to us his Dante’s Inferno-inspired painting, which associates modern society and its problems to a kind of hell. Kerstin Koeglmeier, from Germany, showed us her new jewelry collection related to natural forms. Gabriele La Teana, a young artist from Italy, presented his powerful artworks, in which the brushstrokes seem stabbed on the canvas and express pain, joy, pride and any kind of emotions that he feels towards the world. Raffaela Pederiva, an Italian currently living in Germany, displayed her four paintings that outlined a path through feelings and fears, to finally lead to a message of renewed hope and freedom. And, in the end, Ania Freindorf, a photographer from Poland, talked about her big photos of European glaciers, realized after long expeditions and researches, that aim to raise awareness on climate change, Earth vulnerability and our responsibility.

Ivanna Analia Plaza Frattari and Piotr Lagodzinski both participated in our event, with different artworks. She was selected for her abstract white and grey paintings, while he entered the exhibition with his black and white photo series, in which light and shadows dialogue with city’s landscapes. Also Michael & Simone Naify, wife and husband from the USA, were included among the selected artists. Through their 19 photos series, they narrated the story of a relationship breakdown that overwhelms the ability to handle emotions and leads to a sense of isolation and inability to communicate. Relationships between people, society and the world we live in are the center of the works of Tamàs Kacsàk and Hui Zhang. Tamàs Kacsàk, an Hungarian provocative artist, presented an installation of 15 portraits made of original animal fur; they are symbolic, grotesque depictions of a slaughtered group of animals used in the fur industry. The Chinese artist Hui Zhang, in his 8-meters long work in the Sala Della Pace, reflected on the reduction of the population and its dystopian consequences, representing a creepy abandoned future world. Marius Seidlitz and Mathilde Berry, both from Germany, analyzed women and their bodies in different ways. Marius Seidlitz depicted deliberately imperfect feminine naked bodies, between attraction and repulsion, to demonstrate that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Mathilde Berry, instead, through her vivid colors, wanted to highlight spiritual thoughts and feelings: the divine feminine, collective trauma healing, light and love are at the core of her work. Even Jonathan Berkh used strong colors in his artworks that are, according to the artist, “windows through which we are allowed a split-second-view into that space which appears to be my soul”. Rhonda Donovan, an American artist, displayed two large un-stretched canvases that could be unruly tapestries: the paint not so much sat on their surface as it impregnated like dye, and they are the total destruction and deconstruction of the well-regulated traditional flat canvas surface.

We had also a rich video screening program, this time comprehending two dedicated monitors’ corners, and two live performances presented during the opening events. Fan Zhou, a young Chinese artist currently studying in Venice, made her transparent mannequin move around our venues, like a visitor among other people. While Yukika Kudo from Japan and her colleague, the dancer Laura Rambelli, showed us a mind, soul and body dance inspired by the Japanese oldest collection of poems.

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 Veronica Piras, Giulia Spagnuolo
collaborators Rümeysa Akyildiz, Camilla Folin, Sevgi Özkan, Nisa Sezgin
graphic designer Marina Caracciolo
supported by CARTONARREDO S.A.S. SOLUZIONI ESPOSITIVE IN CARTONE | CENTRO REVISIONI PEDERIVA | CHILDREN HAVE DREAMS TOO |COMUNE DI TROINA | FORUM AUSTRIACO DI CULTURA | FREYLER ART GALLERY | HAAN | HUB DESIGN | LA BARRICA | LEGAMBIENTE | MCART.IST ART INCUBATION CENTER | ISTANBUL |RED MERCOSUR | 13&9 DESIGN

VENUES
THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space
Calle Larga San Marco, 374 – 30124 Venice, Italy
May 10 – June 03, 2021
09:30 AM – 05:30 PM | Monday – Friday

Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello
Cannaregio 4118 – 30121 Venice, Italy
May 11 – June 03, 2021
10:00 AM – 06:00 PM | Monday – Friday

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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.