The 26th edition of miart 2022 is just around the corner. From 1 to 3 April, the first modern and contemporary art fair in Italy – and one of the first in Europe – opens after months of stops and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include the decision to postpone the Salone del Mobile, which used to follow the art fair week, to June, as well as Artefiera in Bologna, scheduled for January.
Nicola Ricciardi, the first-time director of the fair, expects a more personal edition that is on a par with the previous one. A desire reflected in its name: primo movimento (first movement). “This term, borrowed from classical music, does not only represent the beginning of a musical form, but also a desire for acceleration, for moving all together – gallery owners, collectors, artists, citizens and visitors. Because the perfect execution of a symphony is only possible if there is collaboration and cohesion between the baton, forearms, hands, fingers, looks, faces, gestures and, last but not least, the audience in the hall,” he tells Domus.
Alina Chaiderov Altruism, 2020
Medicine rehabilitation ball, copper leaf, 27 × 27 × 27 cm
Silvia Bächli, Untitled, 2021
Gouache on paper, 102 × 144 cm; 108 × 150,5 × 5 cm framed 2 parts (102 × 72 cm each)
Yuli Yamagata, Explorador, 2021
Shoe, dried fish, pool noodle, resin, rope, fake leather, silicone fiber, sewing thread, 62 × 90 × 70 cm unique
Luigi Ghirri Bologna, Via Fondazza, 1989-90
Signed, dated and with archive number Estate verso c-print, vintage image 19.5 x 24.2 cm (7.7 x 9.5 in.) framed 41.5 x 51.5 x 3.2 cm (16.3 x 20.3 x 1.3 in.) (LUG.20159.P)
Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale. Attesa, 1966
Waterpaint on canvas, 47 x 38 cm 18 1/2 x 15 in
Jonathan Monk, Salvo Painting 60, 2019
Digital print, paint on canvas, 35,5 x 45 x 2 cm
Ugo Mulas, Saul Steinberg, Palazzina Mayer #02, Milano, 1961
Modern Print. Gelatin silver print on baritated paper on board 37 × 37 cm (not framed) 63 × 58 × 4 cm (framed) Edition of 28
Charles Avery, Untitled (Boogie-Woogie), 2012
Cardboard, paper, bronze, acrylic, gouache, 80 x 30 x 40 cm
Andrew Gilbert, Squirrels stay in nest and write Beautiful Poetry, 2020
Acrylic, fineliner and watercolor on paper, 40 x 30 cm
Giovanni Anselmo, Dove le stelle si avvicinano di una spanna in più, 2001 – 2022
Projector, slide, 3 blocks of clear diorite, variable dimension
Daniel Dewar & Grégory Gicquel, Oak bench with dark crimson underwing moths, opium poppies and snails, 2021
Oak wood and embroidery on cushion, 16 1/2 x 52 1/2 x 26 inches 42 x 146 x 66 cm
Nicola Martini, Not titled yet, 2020-21
Dyneema fabric, liquid natural latex, graphite powder 128 x 200 x 2,5 cm
Tomaso Binga, Vista Zero, 1972
Photography, print on photographic paper, cm 80 x 30,5 each, overall dimensions variable, 3 elements
Grazia Varisco, Reticolo frangibile Quadricromia, 1969
Acrylic, wood and glass, 53 x 72 cm
Angelo Mangiarotti, Coppia di grandi sculture della collezione Poiesis, 1988
Dyed, recomposed and shaped wood veneers. 32x12.5xh.26 cm each. Execution Pierluigi Ghianda for Arquati Cornici, Castellaro di Sala Baganza
Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo, 2000
Iron sheet, lead, aluminum cot and blanket, 200x180x10 cm
Bruno Munari, Macchina inutile, 1934-1984
Arches silk-screened cardboard, wood, string and iron rod burnished for counterweight, 253 x 72 cm
Enrico Baj, Specchio, 1960
Collage di specchi e pietre su stoffa su tavola / Mirrors and stones collage on fabric laid on panel 100 x 116 cm
Basil Kincaid, The Water Rises, But I Learn To Float, 2021
Ghanaian Kente woven on traditional loom, brocade, wax print fabric, Abrokyere, second hand quilt, 109 x 135 x 102 cm
Giulia Cenci, marine snow (scuro-scuro) #9, 2020
Metal, resin, fiberglass, dusts, 45 x 60 x 75 cm
Emilio Isgrò, Integrale (Enciclopedia Treccani Volume V), 1970
Unabridged (Encyclopedia Treccani Volume V), 1970, ink on typographic book in wooden and plexiglass box, 50x75x12.5 cm
Wassily Kandinsky, Communiqué, 1936
Watercolor and ink on paper mounted on cardboard, 48.5x30.5 cm
Anna Perach, Mother of Egg, 2019
Tufted yarn, beading and wooden frame, 90 x 150 x 110 cm
Catalin Pislaru, Assembly instructions for the second spring of the year nr 4, 2022
Oil paint on HPL panel, 53x43 cm
Tanja Widman, 20200317_15 (Vanessa), 2020
Inkjetprint, perspex box, 25 × 33,5 × 2,4 cm (9.843 × 13.891 × 0.949 in)
Alina Chaiderov Altruism, 2020
Medicine rehabilitation ball, copper leaf, 27 × 27 × 27 cm
Silvia Bächli, Untitled, 2021
Gouache on paper, 102 × 144 cm; 108 × 150,5 × 5 cm framed 2 parts (102 × 72 cm each)
Yuli Yamagata, Explorador, 2021
Shoe, dried fish, pool noodle, resin, rope, fake leather, silicone fiber, sewing thread, 62 × 90 × 70 cm unique
Luigi Ghirri Bologna, Via Fondazza, 1989-90
Signed, dated and with archive number Estate verso c-print, vintage image 19.5 x 24.2 cm (7.7 x 9.5 in.) framed 41.5 x 51.5 x 3.2 cm (16.3 x 20.3 x 1.3 in.) (LUG.20159.P)
Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale. Attesa, 1966
Waterpaint on canvas, 47 x 38 cm 18 1/2 x 15 in
Jonathan Monk, Salvo Painting 60, 2019
Digital print, paint on canvas, 35,5 x 45 x 2 cm
Ugo Mulas, Saul Steinberg, Palazzina Mayer #02, Milano, 1961
Modern Print. Gelatin silver print on baritated paper on board 37 × 37 cm (not framed) 63 × 58 × 4 cm (framed) Edition of 28
Charles Avery, Untitled (Boogie-Woogie), 2012
Cardboard, paper, bronze, acrylic, gouache, 80 x 30 x 40 cm
Andrew Gilbert, Squirrels stay in nest and write Beautiful Poetry, 2020
Acrylic, fineliner and watercolor on paper, 40 x 30 cm
Giovanni Anselmo, Dove le stelle si avvicinano di una spanna in più, 2001 – 2022
Projector, slide, 3 blocks of clear diorite, variable dimension
Daniel Dewar & Grégory Gicquel, Oak bench with dark crimson underwing moths, opium poppies and snails, 2021
Oak wood and embroidery on cushion, 16 1/2 x 52 1/2 x 26 inches 42 x 146 x 66 cm
Nicola Martini, Not titled yet, 2020-21
Dyneema fabric, liquid natural latex, graphite powder 128 x 200 x 2,5 cm
Tomaso Binga, Vista Zero, 1972
Photography, print on photographic paper, cm 80 x 30,5 each, overall dimensions variable, 3 elements
Grazia Varisco, Reticolo frangibile Quadricromia, 1969
Acrylic, wood and glass, 53 x 72 cm
Angelo Mangiarotti, Coppia di grandi sculture della collezione Poiesis, 1988
Dyed, recomposed and shaped wood veneers. 32x12.5xh.26 cm each. Execution Pierluigi Ghianda for Arquati Cornici, Castellaro di Sala Baganza
Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo, 2000
Iron sheet, lead, aluminum cot and blanket, 200x180x10 cm
Bruno Munari, Macchina inutile, 1934-1984
Arches silk-screened cardboard, wood, string and iron rod burnished for counterweight, 253 x 72 cm
Enrico Baj, Specchio, 1960
Collage di specchi e pietre su stoffa su tavola / Mirrors and stones collage on fabric laid on panel 100 x 116 cm
Basil Kincaid, The Water Rises, But I Learn To Float, 2021
Ghanaian Kente woven on traditional loom, brocade, wax print fabric, Abrokyere, second hand quilt, 109 x 135 x 102 cm
Giulia Cenci, marine snow (scuro-scuro) #9, 2020
Metal, resin, fiberglass, dusts, 45 x 60 x 75 cm
Emilio Isgrò, Integrale (Enciclopedia Treccani Volume V), 1970
Unabridged (Encyclopedia Treccani Volume V), 1970, ink on typographic book in wooden and plexiglass box, 50x75x12.5 cm
Wassily Kandinsky, Communiqué, 1936
Watercolor and ink on paper mounted on cardboard, 48.5x30.5 cm
Anna Perach, Mother of Egg, 2019
Tufted yarn, beading and wooden frame, 90 x 150 x 110 cm
Catalin Pislaru, Assembly instructions for the second spring of the year nr 4, 2022
Oil paint on HPL panel, 53x43 cm
Tanja Widman, 20200317_15 (Vanessa), 2020
Inkjetprint, perspex box, 25 × 33,5 × 2,4 cm (9.843 × 13.891 × 0.949 in)
Moreover, this dynamic framework includes the original project of performances in the city curated by Davide Giannella, an original cycle scheduled for 30 March that combines performance and public sphere, featuring visual artist Riccardo Benassi and choreographer Michele Rizzo. This project is realised thanks to the support of Fondazione Marcelo Burlon. “The entire miart and Fiera Milano team wanted to highlight the importance of getting back on the move this spring. In fact, the OutPut project was created to shape the theme of this edition effectively,” Ricciardi continues. Along with FOG Triennale Milano Performing Art, the performing arts festival presents the lecture-performance Dying on Stage by Cypriot Christodoulos Panayiotou (2 April) and the world premiere of Milano, the new work by Romeo Castellucci filmed by Yuri Ancarani (3 April).
The Milan fair is a starting point for the 59th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. In fact, artists being on display also include some of the protagonists of the Venetian kermesse, such as Carla Accardi, Tommaso Binga, Miriam Cahn, Giulia Cenci, Louise Nevelson and Joanna Piotrowska, to name but a few. There are 151 participating galleries, from twenty countries. The galleries’ works will be displayed in three main sections, smaller than in previous editions. “The idea is to provide a clearer distribution of spaces encouraging visitors to move around,” Ricciardi continues.
For the first time, the main Established section showcases a selection of mixed galleries, combining design and modern art works with contemporary works and developing a more appropriately exhibition-oriented path. “The 2021 miart edition has shown that a closer interaction between modern and contemporary can produce common benefits. Therefore, Established Masters and Established Contemporary have been combined in order to encourage greater permeability, stimulating galleries to imagine increasingly high-quality exhibition projects and encouraging dialogues and rediscoveries.”
It is an edition that focuses on new generations and experimentation, a constantly evolving panorama that will increasingly stimulate the curiosity of collectors and visitors. This is immediately clear from the place reserved for Emergent within Fieramilanocity, the section for new generation of galleries and artists, and the associated prizes introduced, which “prove the growing interest of institutions, companies and partners.”
Besides the support of Intesa Sanpaolo, the fair’s main partner, and the Fondazione Fiera Milano Acquisition Fund – whose collection, on display in Palazzina degli Orafi, has now reached one hundred works – there are also promotional and support initiatives for artists and gallery owners, which are reflected in several awards: Herno Prize for the best stand, LCA Prize for the best gallery in the Emergent section, Covivio Acquisition Award, which will select an artist to commission a site-specific work.
Lastly, the fair’s systemic focus on the city. The partnership with Milan institutions is in fact a cornerstone of miart, which over time has grown events and exhibitions in museums, foundations, galleries and non-profit spaces opening during the fair. Despite two difficult years, Milano Art Week is not losing heart and is celebrating from 28 March to 3 April a restart characterised by big international names, who suggest quality exhibitions, in collaboration with the Cultural Department of the City of Milan. Among the many events, from the most popular to the most hidden, here are five not to be missed.