EXHIBITION REVIEW
BODYSPACES – CANVAS INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2024
September 13 – 27, 2024
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, Venice

ITSLIQUID Group, in collaboration with ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association, is pleased to announce the great success of BODYSPACES, the first appointment of CANVAS INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2024, which is taking place in Venice at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello during the 60th Venice Biennale of Art.

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

The word “canvas” was used for the first time in Italy in the 14th century and it has become the most common support medium for oil painting, replacing wooden panels. Over the centuries, the canvas’ meaning has changed, starting from paintings, through photographic and cinematographic film, exploring the human body, to the digital world. Canvas is the creatives’ common ground, on which they can express themselves. We invite all the artists to share their personal artistic research through any kind of media, from painting to sculptures and installation, from photography to video art and live performance.

BODYSPACES is about the perception of our body, the first step for the appropriation of our identity. The bodies are the spaces for human experimentation, for the achievement of humanity and its overtaking. The contemporary bodies are composed of corporal and virtual elements influenced by physical and psychical actions. The artistic work on the body’s hybridization will create a new concept of humanity starting any kind of possible life in a contemporary multicultural society. We invite artists to express, through their artistic research, the relationship between the body and human life, celebrating the new identities in contemporary times.

Each artist brought a unique perspective to the theme of BODYSPACES, contributing to the dialogue surrounding the relationship between the body and identity in today’s world: among them, the Italian artist Roberta Pietra developed a distinctive pop art style characterized by bold lines and dominant colors where each piece blends playful decorative motifs and vivid interpretations, exploring emotion and imagination rather than realistic likeness. Focusing on portraits too, Biljana Petreska chooses to represent instead herself by mixing conceptual imagery with traditional and alternative photography techniques. Her works incorporate elements of drawing, painting, and materials such as resin, glass, and natural substances, creating layered, textured pieces. In her art, Petreska uses emotion and materiality to reveal layers of the self, aiming to foster a sense of empowerment and connection between her experiences and the viewer’s journey.

From evocative photography and paintings to immersive installations, video art, and live performances, artists engaged with the central theme of body perception in varied and innovative ways: Sandra Ansaldi, a psychiatrist and artist, addressed her artistic practice to the transformation of objects, particularly through the concept of “objet détourné,” where everyday items are repurposed with new meanings. Her most iconic work involves the bidet, a symbol of Italian culture, which she reimagined as a French aperitif table; through humor and wordplay, her works explore themes of identity, cultural transformation, and reinvention, blending philosophical and socio-political messages with irony. Particular attention to nowadays cultural problems is also brought to the attention of David Waage‘s photography observers: his work often explores themes of displacement and cultural contrasts, reflecting his deep engagement with global issues and personal experiences in regions affected by conflict.

Held at the historic Palazzo Albrizzi Capello, the exhibition attracted a diverse audience of art enthusiasts, critics, and collectors. This stunning 16th-century Venetian palace offered a captivating blend of historical opulence and contemporary elegance, providing the perfect setting for Legendina Di Paolo’s work. Her pieces embody a sophisticated fusion of metaphysical and classical influences with modern symbolism, intricately weaving together totemic animals and themes of maternity and fertility. Through evocative imagery, Di Paolo’s work has earned significant international acclaim. Influenced by German Expressionism, Frederick Haddox uses color, line, and form to convey emotional connections and energetic movement. His work merges abstract and figurative elements, emphasizing the fluidity and liberating potential of lines to illustrate how art can transcend limitations and express our fundamental needs for love and happiness.

Exploring the intersection of the physical and virtual, Anne Margrethe is a Norwegian artist renowned for her innovative use of traditional and modern techniques. She creates large canvas rich in colours and themes: focusing on life’s processes through symbolic, psychological, and expressionistic styles, the artist begins with a “colour chaos” that evolves into unique compositions, reflecting her fascination with light, emotions, and the magic of the moment. Using diverse techniques and tools, Peter Backhaus creates striking visual narratives that explore the struggle of everyday life: through his art, Backhaus invites viewers to reflect on deep psychological realms and their potential for human transformation.

Artists not only interpreted the human body as a site of identity but also explored its hybridization in contemporary society, creating powerful statements about the diversity of approaches in reimagining the body’s role in a multicultural, constantly evolving world. In this regard, Sonia Chiappa’s study of the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds represents a little part of a larger project inspired by Margaret Atwood’s “The Penelopiad,” where Penelope narrates her story from the underworld. Chiappa’s technique emphasizes seamlessness, symbolizing the characters’ loss of identity in the afterlife, conveying themes of guilt, injustice, and eternal entrapment. Dani Wieczorek‘s compelling photo series “I Am a Piece of Art” enriched the event celebrating self-love and body diversity. Through striking imagery, Wieczorek challenges conventional beauty standards by highlighting the beauty in individuality and the uniqueness of each body, encouraging viewers to embrace their differences and redefining traditional notions of beauty aimed to promote a more inclusive and affirming perspective on self-worth.

organized by ITSLIQUID Group
in collaboration with ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association | GOETHE INSTITUT
curator Luca Curci
project manager Giulia Tassi
project coordinators Amaride Ferrante
artists coordinators Andrea Medin
collaborators Annachiara Recchia, Valentyn Yatsenko
graphic designers Marina Caracciolo, Silvia Ruggieri
supported by ALLA JAKOVLEVA | Rocinha Resiste

VENUE
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello
Associazione Culturale Italo-Tedesca (ACIT), Cannaregio 4118, Venice
Opening hours | Monday – Friday . 09.30 AM – 05.30 PM

---

---

ABOUT US

ITSLIQUID is a web-based information platform, founded in 2001 by Luca Curci, dedicated to the worldwide 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, and media partnership services.

During the last 20 years, ITSLIQUID Group has become 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, and to connect artists working in every part of the world.

ITSLIQUID Group manages a variety of art spaces all over the world; among them Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello in Venice and different historical buildings, ELEMENTS Contemporary Art Space in the London city centre 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, the USA, Canada, the 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 LOCATION

Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello is one of the most known palaces of the Renaissance in Venice. It is a historical building dating 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 furniture that enriches 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, is 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 hold some festivals and exhibitions in Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, such as MORPHOS Festival and FUTURE IDENTITIES Festival, both in 2014.