Discover Present Future at Artissima 2024 – An Interview with Curators Léon Kruijswijk and Joel Valabrega
Léon Kruijswijk, Joel Valabrega
SP: The 2024 edition of Artissima, held from 1 to 3 November at OVAL Lingotto Fiere, has just come to an end. Artissima presented three curated sections: Back to the Future, Drawings, and Present Future. The latter has been dedicated to emerging talents for twenty-four years. How did you come to accept the invitation to curate the Present Future section of Artissima? Is this your first collaboration or have you worked together before? How did you collaborate to develop a shared vision, given your different backgrounds and experiences?
LK, JV: The beginning of our collaboration was in 2023, when we had the chance to work together on a commissioned performance. Since then we got to know each other’s practices and we realised how many points in common we had, for example the focus on multidisciplinary practices specifically on performance and live disciplines. This was the starting point to collaborate on a shared vision for Artissima.
SP: Your intention was to bring an interdisciplinary approach, combining sculpture, painting, installation, text, performance, video, and sound works. Present Future featured the works of ten artists presented by ten galleries, five of which were Italian; these were new projects created specifically for the fair or exhibited for the first time in a European and Italian context. Can you tell us about the galleries and artists involved in the Present Future section of Artissima 2024? What criteria guided your selection, and what curatorial approach did you follow?
LK, JV: We both work in visual arts institutions and we both work a lot with performances and other live formats. We agreed to have an expanded approach to our discipline, looking at where the visual arts meet other practices; this turned out to be the driving force for our selection for Present Future. We realised that, when thinking about today’s most relevant tendencies, there is a very diverse range of artists, formats and mediums that one can find. This is why we have chosen sculptures, immersive installations, paintings, live elements and text-based works; we wanted to present a coming together of all these varieties. Plus it’s also important to have an intersectional approach, to have represented a variety of backgrounds coming from different regions in the world, with different ways of education as well.
Finally, it’s the first time for us to be working in a fair context, as we both come from the institutional world. For this reason, we wanted to treat this section like a sort of a group exhibition. The idea of transition, of transformation and of creating a liminal space represent a strong thematic link that grounds all of the different booths: this could be seen as the red thread throughout the whole section.
SP: In your view, what is the role of today’s curator in promoting innovation and diversity in the contemporary art scene, especially when it comes to communicating and enhancing the most emerging art scene? Are there influences or references that you consider important for your work on this project?
JK, LV: Curators have a responsibility, especially when working for institutional contexts. For us specifically, the possibility of showcasing emerging practices is something that is absolutely crucial and it helps to develop the artistic scene. Surely, one of the core aspects of curating would be to give possibilities to less represented voices and stories. As a curator, it’s crucial to work as a connector, in order to really bring artists to a certain platform and at the same time within the institutions. This gives the opportunity to assume the central role of a mediator, as one who is in the middle of this network bringing together young artists, galleries, funding bodies, institutions and various audiences.
SP: Concluding a particularly vibrant autumn for the art market in Europe, Artissima reaffirms its status as a leading event for contemporary art in Italy. From your perspective, what role does Artissima play today in the increasingly competitive landscape of European art fairs? How does it stand out on the international stage, and what challenges or opportunities arise for a fair like this within the global art fair circuit?
LK, JV: Artissima is a very special place for personal and non-personal reasons. What is at the core of it, is that it’s an extremely curated Art Fair, which is quite rare to find in other fairs. The strong presence of curators and curated sections really puts a spotlight on certain artists and certain galleries. We think Luigi Fassi has been doing an amazing job: strategically, he managed to involve over 50 curators within this edition of Artissima, creating the opportunity for museum directors and both independent and institutional curators to work together and connect. This goes beyond the commercial discourse, but it really opens up to a wider landscape which I think is what makes this fair so special.
It’s very powerful the way so many curators from a variety of countries and institutions are here, it almost feels like a Biennial. Especially for the curators, us included, this represents a great opportunity to see different corners of Europe coming together and connect to the Italian contemporary art scene.
SP: During Artissima, the entire city of Turin comes alive, transforming itself into a vibrant cultural hub welcoming artists, curators, art professionals and collectors from all over the world. This enriches an already vibrant and distinctive art scene that is an integral part of the city’s identity. Could you share a short itinerary with your ‘musts’ for this year in Turin, considering the main exhibitions on view during this period? From an artistic perspective and in terms of your favorite spots: what are your ‘must-see’ experiences in the city?
LK, JV: We were very focused on being here at the fair so we didn’t get a full chance to explore the vibrancy of Turin as much as we wanted. Surely, we all know the wonderful food culture that one can find in Turin, this is an experience nobody should miss. Talking about artistic projects that are being shown in town, the Alessandro Di Pietro’s exhibition organized by Case Chiuse by Paola Clerico is a show that we found very interesting and really a must-see. The way it was contextualized in a non-contemporary-art circuit was very interesting; we found the project to be a delicate gesture presenting a new production and a new body of works. Another must-see show is definitely the wonderful Salvo’s exhibition at Pinacoteca Agnelli. Over the course of the years, we have seen only a couple of his works, as many have never seen so many of his works all together. The show is a stand out. The way he worked, the way he managed to capture the light, as well as how the show was curated, really impressed us.
