Artissima 2024: exhibitions and must-see events at art week in Turin

Starting October 30, Turin’s OGR will host Retinal Rivalry, a solo exhibition by French artist Cyprien Gaillard. Known for exploring themes of architecture, memory, and nature, Gaillard uses photography, video, and installations to reflect on urban decay and contemporary landscapes. Curated by Samuele Piazza, this exhibition presents Gaillard’s latest video work, debuting in Italy after premiering at Switzerland’s Fondation Beyeler. 

Set in OGR’s industrial setting, Gaillard’s video art takes viewers on a surreal, documentary-like journey through atypical sites in Germany, including Oktoberfest, Roman ruins found in a 1970s car park beneath Cologne Cathedral, and a Burger King set in a former Nazi power plant in Nuremberg. Unleashing the sculptural potential of film, these subjects are transformed into moving, stereoscopic images – ghostly and psychedelic, brought to life beyond traditional projection techniques. Retinal Rivalry will be on view through February 2, 2025.

The Museum of Oriental Art is hosting Rabbit Inhabits the Moon, an exhibition by Korean-born American artist Nam June Paik, on view through March 23, 2025. Paik, a pioneer in conceptual and new media art movements like Fluxus and video art, inspired the exhibition’s title with his 1996 installation of the same name. In it, a wooden rabbit sculpture gazes at a moon image on a TV screen – a concept rooted in Far Eastern legend. Curated by MAO’s director Davide Quadrio, Joanne Kim, Anna Musini, and Francesca Filisetti, the exhibition combines Paik’s iconic works, primarily on loan from the Bonotto Foundation, with ancient artifacts and contemporary pieces by Korean artists.

The exhibit “aims to re-examine Nam June Paik’s legacy and his influence on contemporary generations,” juxtaposing symbols, materials, and artifacts from different cultures and eras as “transgeographic and transhistorical archetypes.” Special focus is given to sound, music, and performance, honoring Paik’s collaboration with cellist Charlotte Moorman.

Starting November 1, Pinacoteca Agnelli presents Arrivare in Tempo (Arriving on Time), an anthological exhibition dedicated to Salvo, an artist whose work has seen a meticulous reassessment in recent years. This exhibition, the most extensive to date on Salvo’s career, focuses on themes of time and memory, dreams and surreality, which permeate the Sicilian artist's vividly imaginative paintings. His canvases are marked by a unique, realistic style that recalls the suspended spaces of De Chirico and the elusive nature of reality. Yet, they are also imbued with an analytical component drawn from late 19th-century Neo-Impressionism and scientific color studies. 

Curated by Sarah Cosulich and Lucrezia Calabrò Visconti, the retrospective reveals how “Salvo’s paintings – through their large, recurring thematic cycles, attention to art-historical subjects, and study of light – have always maintained a link to his early conceptual explorations,” which initially aligned with Arte Povera until his dramatic shift in 1974. Arrivare in Tempo also introduces two new installations at Pista 500, the art project staged on the iconic FIAT test track atop the Lingotto building: one by Monica Bonvicini and a billboard installation by Chalisée Naamani.

This fall marks “not only” the opening of INSIDE, a group exhibition, but also the launch of Fondazione Giorgio Griffa itself. Housed in a former Michelin tire factory from 1906, the new exhibition space covers about 200 square meters and complements the building’s existing archive of Giorgio Griffa, a leading figure in Italian painting. Founded in 2023, the Fondazione is dedicated to Griffa’s legacy as well as to contemporary artistic experimentation, with a special focus on publishing. Honoring the site’s rich historical connection to Turin’s creative scene, INSIDE showcases the work of seven artists who have maintained a consistent relationship with the space and worked in its studios for years. 

In addition to Griffa’s pieces, works by artists such as Gilberto Zorio, Luigi Mainolfi, Nunzio, Elisa Sighicelli, Grazia Toderi, and Marco Gastini will be on display. Curated by Sébastien Delot, director of the Musée National Picasso in Paris, the exhibition delves into themes of space, memory, and materiality, concepts that are central to each artist’s practice. Located at 28 Oropa Street, INSIDE is open to the public every Thursday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., or by appointment until November 28. Special hours during Art Week: October 28 - November 3 (12:00 - 8:00 p.m.); November 1 (6:00 - 9:00 p.m.).

If you’re seeking the right blend of art immersion and a restorative escape from the bustle of Art Week, this event might be the perfect fit. On Saturday, November 2, at 27 Via Germanasca in Turin, a series of experimental art activities and interventions will take place. The day begins with SUPERSOUND: Chakra’s Edition, described as “a bodily flow of imagination” (Greta Pasini, 2022), where sound and movement artist Francesca Heart will deliver a live electronic music performance, both soothing and psychedelic, to accompany a yoga session led by Giulia Belle. 

Following a communal breakfast, the program continues with a reading by Eleonora Luccarini, in which her writing, transformed into a performative tool, is delivered through her alter ego, Milkdromeda – a promising emerging artist who recently curated an impressive interdisciplinary exhibition at Cripta747 in Turin. Later, Benedetta Pini will lead La Fornace Alchemica, an immersive self-care workshop exploring active plant principles and sound frequencies. Organized by Panopticon in collaboration with Spazio Pat – an independent collective known for pioneering projects that break traditional art boundaries  –  the workshop promises a unique, holistic experience. Due to limited space, advance booking is recommended at www.panopticonpublishing.org.