Artissima 2021

Artissima is Italy’s most important contemporary art fair. Since its establishment in 1994, it has combined the presence of an international market with a focus on experimentation and research.

Galleries from around the world participate every year. In addition to the fair (Main Section, Dialogue/Monologue, New Entries, Art Spaces & Editions), Artissima is also composed of three curated sections, headed by a board of international curators and museum directors: Present Future – curated by Ilaria Gianni (Independent curator and writer, Roma) and Fernanda Brenner (Independent curator and writer, Sao Paulo) – devoted to emerging artists; Disegni – curated by Bettina Steinbrügge, (Director, Hamburg Kunstverein; Managing director, Kunstmeile Hamburg, Hamburg) and Lilou Vidal (Independent curator and editor, Bruxelles, Torino) – dedicated to drawings; Back to the Future – curated by Lorenzo Giusti (Director, GAMeC, Bergamo) and Mouna Mekouar (Independent curator and Art critic, Paris) – devoted to rediscover the great pioneers of contemporary art.

Starting from 2020 the three curated sections are virtually hosted on the Artissima XYZ digital platform; in 2021 a physical shared display took place within the exhibition pavilion as well.

The fair is curated by Artissima Srl, a company connected with the Fondazione Torino Musei.

In 2021 Artissima presented a new geographical focus on India: Hub India, a project offering an overview of contemporary art galleries, institutions and artists active in this surprising area.
Hub India took place both at Artissima, with the stand Maximum Minimum inside the fair pavillon, and around Torino with Classical Radical, a tripartite museum show at Palazzo Madama, MAO and Accademia Albertina.