Souvenir d'Italie. A nonprofit Art Story

14 May 2010
curated by Patrizia Brusarosco and Milovan Farronato

Almost twenty years after the birth of Viafarini, to crown a period that led to the birth of DOCVA in collaboration with Careof, we want to tell the story and the protagonists of the world of contemporary art in Italy from 1991 to today through the seminal experience of one of the first Italian non-profit organizations, in a publication that collects unpublished testimonies, documents, images and texts. The volume is divided into 17 chapters, which describe the fundamental activities of a non-profit organization. Curated by Patrizia Brusarosco and Milovan Farronato. Editorial coordination Giulia Brivio, Monica Thurner, Giulio Verago. Special thanks to Gemmo spa. Published by Mousse Editore 392 pages, colors.

Texts by Cecilia Alemani, Michela Arfiero, Stefano Baia Curioni, Chiara Bertola, Elena Bordignon, Giulia Brivio, Patrizia Brusarosco, Barbara Casavecchia, Luca Cerizza, Gail Cochrane, Giulio Ciavoliello, Anna Daneri, Roberto Daolio, Vincenzo De Bellis, Emanuela De Cecco, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Milovan Farronato, Davide Ferri, Beppe Finessi, Alessandra Galasso, Alesandra Galletta, Francesco Garutti, Mario Gorni, Elio Grazioli, Antonio Grulli, Andrea Lissoni, Simone Menegoi, Guido Molinari, Paola Nicolin, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Lisa Parola, Francesca Pasini, Cloe Piccoli, Alessandra Pioselli, Alessandro Rabottini, Gianni Romano, Pierluigi Sacco, Gabi Scardi, Marco Tagliafierro, Monica Thurner, Giulio Verago, Giorgio Verzotti, Angela Vettese, Andrea Viliani, Claudia Zanfi

Special Projects Linda Fregni Nagler, Alberto Garutti, Armin Linke, Eva Marisaldi, Adrian Paci, Alessandro Pessoli, Cesare Pietroiusti, Vedovamazzei

Testimonies di Alessio Antoniolli, Jonathan Baldock, Shane Campbell, Nicoletta Fiorucci, Susanna Gemmo, Benjamin Greber, Kim Jones, Francesca Kaufmann, Sefer Memisoglu, Nirith Nelson, Els van Odijk, Dragana Sapanjos, Julia Staszak, Alberto Tadiello, Scott Treleaven, Ulrich Vogl

1_ "From the Armin Linke Archive" The chapter consists of images of exhibitions, installations, characters that animated the 90s through a selection of photographs from the Armin Linke archive.

2_ “The Beginnings” Contains photographic images and texts documenting the start-up of Viafarini: the inaugural exhibitions and the first membership projects which involved most of the artists active in Italy of that period; the first collaborations with critics and curators and a selection of the press review in national and international magazines that reports the context in which Viafarini developed.

3_ "First Show" Chronologically tells the story of Viafarini's exhibition activity from 1991 to 2010, using the graphics of the invitations and the images of some exhibitions.

4_ "Viafarini Live" A chapter dedicated to performances made over time through archival photographic images.

5_ "Story of the Archive" From the collaboration with the only other independent space at the time, Careof, to the birth of the DOCVA archive, involving those who have dealt with the Portfolio Vision from the foundation of the Archive to now. Texts by: Mario Gorni, Gabi Scardi, Alessandra Galasso, Alessandra Galletta, Milovan Farronato.

6_ "Souvenir d’Italie" This chapter collects thoughts and memories in relation to their experience with Viafarini by Alberto Garutti, Cesare Pietroiusti, Giancarlo Norese, Adrian Paci, Eva Marisaldi, Alessandro Pessoli and Vedovamazzei in the form of special projects.

7_ "From Milan on the move to VIR" Describes the actions taken over the years to promote mobility for Italian artists abroad. From the creation of Artbox, a database on scholarships, awards, workshops and services for art, to the exhibition Interplace Access on nonprofit spaces in Italy and abroad by Tatiana Trouvé and Marion Baruch, up to the project Milano on the move with the studio visits of directors of international residences and the birth of VIR Viafarini-in-residence. The chapter contains a text by Gabi Scardi on the mobility of Italian artists.

8_ "Outside projects" An overview of Viafarini's extramural activities.

9_ "From Lazzaro Palazzi to Via Fiuggi ..." An investigation into what happened in Milan and in Italy in general in the context of spaces self-managed by artists, alternative spaces, independent spaces from the late 1980s to today. Starting with the space in via Lazzaro Palazzi and Brown Boveri, passing through Via Fiuggi, up to the most current events. Documents, photographs and unpublished texts by Franceso Garutti, Luca Cerizza, Paola Nicolin, Stefano Bai Curioni, Angela Vettese, Pier Luigi Sacco.

10_ “Unknow Matters” From Maurizio Cattelan's beginnings as a press office, to the “unpredictable” interns like Paola Guadagnino and Vanessa Beecroft; to objects, images and unpublished projects found in the Archives portfolios of some artists, to activities in the field of design and fashion...

11_ “From Critical Quest to Curatology” In this section the theoretical contributions in the critical / curatorial field, starting from the Critical Quest project (1993) curated by Alessandra Galletta and Marco Senaldi, up to Curatology (2009) curated by Milovan Farronato. Archival materials alternate with unpublished texts.

12_ "Anatomy" Following an unprecedented perspective, the history of the Archive and its materials is told again, through "revelations".

13_ "Education" One of the fundamental activities of a non-profit organization: training, teaching, relations with academies and universities, seminars, conferences, workshops...

14_ “Italian Area” Critical contributions to define the Italian creative landscape of the last twenty years. A number of Italian critics were involved, by virtue of a previous collaboration with Viafarini, to identify and comment on a work contained in the website www.italianarea.it. Contributors: Cecilia Alemani, Chiara Bertola, Barbara Casavecchia, Luca Cerizza, Giulio Ciavoliello, Anna Daneri, Roberto Daolio, Emanuela De Cecco, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Milovan Farronato, Beppe Finessi, Elio Grazioli, Andrea Lissoni, Guido Molinari, Lisa Parola, Francesca Pasini, Cloe Piccoli, Alessandra Pioselli, Alessandro Rabottini, Gianni Romano, Gabi Scardi, Marco Tagliafierro, Giorgio Verzotti, Andrea Viliani, Claudia Zanfi. The chapter ends with a text by Hans Ulrich Obrist.

15_ “Portraits by Linda Fregni Nagler” Portraits from Rehearsals for an Yearbook by Linda Fregni Nagler.

16_ “London” A focus on British artists who exhibited in Viafarini at the beginning of their careers: Mat Collishaw, Angus Fairhust, Abigail Lane, Mona Hatoum, Martin Creed, Gillian Wearing, Tania Kovatz, Runa Islam.

17_ “Thanks to” In this chapter Viafarini thanks all those who contributed to the birth and development of the activities, projects and visions.

Souvenir d'Italie. A nonprofit Art Story

14 May 2010
curated by Patrizia Brusarosco and Milovan Farronato

Almost twenty years after the birth of Viafarini, to crown a period that led to the birth of DOCVA in collaboration with Careof, we want to tell the story and the protagonists of the world of contemporary art in Italy from 1991 to today through the seminal experience of one of the first Italian non-profit organizations, in a publication that collects unpublished testimonies, documents, images and texts. The volume is divided into 17 chapters, which describe the fundamental activities of a non-profit organization. Curated by Patrizia Brusarosco and Milovan Farronato. Editorial coordination Giulia Brivio, Monica Thurner, Giulio Verago. Special thanks to Gemmo spa. Published by Mousse Editore 392 pages, colors.

Texts by Cecilia Alemani, Michela Arfiero, Stefano Baia Curioni, Chiara Bertola, Elena Bordignon, Giulia Brivio, Patrizia Brusarosco, Barbara Casavecchia, Luca Cerizza, Gail Cochrane, Giulio Ciavoliello, Anna Daneri, Roberto Daolio, Vincenzo De Bellis, Emanuela De Cecco, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Milovan Farronato, Davide Ferri, Beppe Finessi, Alessandra Galasso, Alesandra Galletta, Francesco Garutti, Mario Gorni, Elio Grazioli, Antonio Grulli, Andrea Lissoni, Simone Menegoi, Guido Molinari, Paola Nicolin, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Lisa Parola, Francesca Pasini, Cloe Piccoli, Alessandra Pioselli, Alessandro Rabottini, Gianni Romano, Pierluigi Sacco, Gabi Scardi, Marco Tagliafierro, Monica Thurner, Giulio Verago, Giorgio Verzotti, Angela Vettese, Andrea Viliani, Claudia Zanfi

Special Projects Linda Fregni Nagler, Alberto Garutti, Armin Linke, Eva Marisaldi, Adrian Paci, Alessandro Pessoli, Cesare Pietroiusti, Vedovamazzei

Testimonies di Alessio Antoniolli, Jonathan Baldock, Shane Campbell, Nicoletta Fiorucci, Susanna Gemmo, Benjamin Greber, Kim Jones, Francesca Kaufmann, Sefer Memisoglu, Nirith Nelson, Els van Odijk, Dragana Sapanjos, Julia Staszak, Alberto Tadiello, Scott Treleaven, Ulrich Vogl

1_ "From the Armin Linke Archive" The chapter consists of images of exhibitions, installations, characters that animated the 90s through a selection of photographs from the Armin Linke archive.

2_ “The Beginnings” Contains photographic images and texts documenting the start-up of Viafarini: the inaugural exhibitions and the first membership projects which involved most of the artists active in Italy of that period; the first collaborations with critics and curators and a selection of the press review in national and international magazines that reports the context in which Viafarini developed.

3_ "First Show" Chronologically tells the story of Viafarini's exhibition activity from 1991 to 2010, using the graphics of the invitations and the images of some exhibitions.

4_ "Viafarini Live" A chapter dedicated to performances made over time through archival photographic images.

5_ "Story of the Archive" From the collaboration with the only other independent space at the time, Careof, to the birth of the DOCVA archive, involving those who have dealt with the Portfolio Vision from the foundation of the Archive to now. Texts by: Mario Gorni, Gabi Scardi, Alessandra Galasso, Alessandra Galletta, Milovan Farronato.

6_ "Souvenir d’Italie" This chapter collects thoughts and memories in relation to their experience with Viafarini by Alberto Garutti, Cesare Pietroiusti, Giancarlo Norese, Adrian Paci, Eva Marisaldi, Alessandro Pessoli and Vedovamazzei in the form of special projects.

7_ "From Milan on the move to VIR" Describes the actions taken over the years to promote mobility for Italian artists abroad. From the creation of Artbox, a database on scholarships, awards, workshops and services for art, to the exhibition Interplace Access on nonprofit spaces in Italy and abroad by Tatiana Trouvé and Marion Baruch, up to the project Milano on the move with the studio visits of directors of international residences and the birth of VIR Viafarini-in-residence. The chapter contains a text by Gabi Scardi on the mobility of Italian artists.

8_ "Outside projects" An overview of Viafarini's extramural activities.

9_ "From Lazzaro Palazzi to Via Fiuggi ..." An investigation into what happened in Milan and in Italy in general in the context of spaces self-managed by artists, alternative spaces, independent spaces from the late 1980s to today. Starting with the space in via Lazzaro Palazzi and Brown Boveri, passing through Via Fiuggi, up to the most current events. Documents, photographs and unpublished texts by Franceso Garutti, Luca Cerizza, Paola Nicolin, Stefano Bai Curioni, Angela Vettese, Pier Luigi Sacco.

10_ “Unknow Matters” From Maurizio Cattelan's beginnings as a press office, to the “unpredictable” interns like Paola Guadagnino and Vanessa Beecroft; to objects, images and unpublished projects found in the Archives portfolios of some artists, to activities in the field of design and fashion...

11_ “From Critical Quest to Curatology” In this section the theoretical contributions in the critical / curatorial field, starting from the Critical Quest project (1993) curated by Alessandra Galletta and Marco Senaldi, up to Curatology (2009) curated by Milovan Farronato. Archival materials alternate with unpublished texts.

12_ "Anatomy" Following an unprecedented perspective, the history of the Archive and its materials is told again, through "revelations".

13_ "Education" One of the fundamental activities of a non-profit organization: training, teaching, relations with academies and universities, seminars, conferences, workshops...

14_ “Italian Area” Critical contributions to define the Italian creative landscape of the last twenty years. A number of Italian critics were involved, by virtue of a previous collaboration with Viafarini, to identify and comment on a work contained in the website www.italianarea.it. Contributors: Cecilia Alemani, Chiara Bertola, Barbara Casavecchia, Luca Cerizza, Giulio Ciavoliello, Anna Daneri, Roberto Daolio, Emanuela De Cecco, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Milovan Farronato, Beppe Finessi, Elio Grazioli, Andrea Lissoni, Guido Molinari, Lisa Parola, Francesca Pasini, Cloe Piccoli, Alessandra Pioselli, Alessandro Rabottini, Gianni Romano, Gabi Scardi, Marco Tagliafierro, Giorgio Verzotti, Andrea Viliani, Claudia Zanfi. The chapter ends with a text by Hans Ulrich Obrist.

15_ “Portraits by Linda Fregni Nagler” Portraits from Rehearsals for an Yearbook by Linda Fregni Nagler.

16_ “London” A focus on British artists who exhibited in Viafarini at the beginning of their careers: Mat Collishaw, Angus Fairhust, Abigail Lane, Mona Hatoum, Martin Creed, Gillian Wearing, Tania Kovatz, Runa Islam.

17_ “Thanks to” In this chapter Viafarini thanks all those who contributed to the birth and development of the activities, projects and visions.