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JURY OF THE 11TH INTERNATIONAL ARTE LAGUNA PRIZE

Igor Zanti | Arte Laguna Prize

IGOR ZANTI
ITALY, CURATOR AND ART CRITIC

Igor Zanti was born in 1973 in Milan. He is graduated in modern literature at the University of Milan with a thesis on the Medieval and Modern Art History. For several years he carries out different activities as a critic and curator of contemporary art and applied arts exhibitions. He conceived in 2006, with Arte Laguna of Mogliano Veneto (Treviso), the “Arte Laguna Prize”, he was the curator for painting and photography sections during the 2006 and 2007 editions, the president of the Jury for the sculpture section during the 2008 and 2009 editions. In 2008 he was the artistic director of the Brolo Museum – Art and Culture Centre in Mogliano Veneto (Treviso). In the early 2008, he conceived the project “Dadaumpop” for defining and promoting the New Pop movement in Italy. The project Dadaumpop was exhibited at the beginning of 2011 in India with the support of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Embassy in New Delhi, an the Italian Cultural institute. Since 2009 has been the artistic consultant for the Art Club International of Lugano and he teaches visual communication and contemporary art phenomenology at the IED College of Milan. In the 2009 he became chief curator at Arte Laguna Prizes. He collaborates with the Italian National Trust (FAI) for the organization of the annual film festival dedicated to the relationship between art and cinema. He collaborates with Italian and international galleries and museums.

Fernando Santos | Arte Laguna Prize

FLAVIO ARENSI
ITALY, ART CRITIC

Flavio Arensi (Milan, 1975) is a journalist and art critic. From 2003, when he dedicated a retrospective to Giovanni Testori (together with the one in Milan’s Palazzo Reale), to 2012 he directed the Exhibition Spaces of the City of Legnano, where he curated over twenty monographic exhibitions devoted to the great masters, from Goya to Kollwitz, from Matta to Rodin, whose exhibition was the first one ever focusing on the artist’s training years. In 2013 he curated a second retrospective of the French master at Palazzo Reale in Milan and at the Baths of Diocletian in Rome. 2012 is also the year of the major anthological exhibition at Palazzo Reale of master Mimmo Paladino, of whom he curated several personal exhibitions and some monographs. He was in charge of the contemporary installations at the Italian Vittoriale and for three years he was visual arts director at the Ravello Festival, where he curated the monographic exhibitions of Paladino, Cragg and Perez until 2015. He collaborated with public and private institutions, for which he curated exhibitions and publications (about eighty monographs) working with some major publishers, including Allemandi, Electa, Giunti, Skira, Silvana Editoriale. He also collaborated with specialized publications and until 2013 with the cultural pages of a number of national newspapers. In 2015 he founded with Francesco Mandressi “Meetmuseum”, born from the Cultural Innovation Call of the Lombardy Region. Through his company he curated the first smart video guides for tourism and temporary exhibitions. Since 2015 he has also directed the quarterly Sofà, published by Editalia – Printing Institute and State Mint.

Paolo Colombo | Arte Laguna Prize

SALVADOR NADALES
MADRID, CURATOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT AT MUSEO NACIONAL CENTRO DE ARTE REINA SOFÍA IN MADRID (MAMBER OF THE JURY IN PLACE OF THE DIRECTOR MANUEL J. BORJA-VILLEL)

Salvador Nadales is an art historian and holds an MA in Museology. In 2006 he joined the Reina Sofía Museum, Madrid as curator of photography department and is currently in charge of Institutional Relations for the Collections department. He is author of essays and articles about photography, contemporary art and museology. He participated in Arles, Montreal and Madrid photography festival, was a jury member of Discoveries PhotoEspaña 2009, and jury artFIFA, 2012, Montreal. Nadales was curator for the exhibition, Objects and Subjects (2010) and assistant curator in the exhibition project Encounters with the 1930´s, (Reina Sofía, 2012). As well, he has been professor of History of Photography in the MA in Photography and Desing at the Instituto Europeo de Diseño, Madrid.

Suad Garayeva | Arte Laguna Prize

TAMARA CHALABI
IRAQ, CHAIR AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE RUYA FOUNDATION

Tamara Chalabi was born in Beirut to Lebanese and Iraqi parents and studied at Cambridge and Harvard. She has a PhD in History and the Middle East from Harvard University and specialises in contemporary Middle Eastern art and culture. She divides her time between Baghdad and Istanbul.
Her first book “The Shi’is of Jabal’Amil and the New Lebanon: 1918-1943” (2006) was a pioneering study of a crucial period of change in Lebanon. “Late for Tea at the Deer Palace; the Lost Dreams of my Iraqi Family” (2010) uncovered the lives of four generations of Chalabi’s family at the forefront of Iraqi political life.
In 2012, Chalabi co-founded the Ruya Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that is the only Iraqi foundation focused on enriching Iraqi contemporary culture both within the country and internationally. Chalabi steers the Foundation’s main programme, which has an extensive focus on art relief activities in the refugee camps of northern Iraq. Ruya is also the commissioner for the National Pavilion of Iraq at the Venice Biennale and manages the only publically accessible online database of contemporary Iraqi artists.

Open | Arte Laguna Prize

PAOLO COLOMBO
ITALY, ART ADVISOR FOR THE ISTANBUL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Paolo Colombo is the Art Advisor for the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (2008 to present). With Tamara Chalabi, he is currently co-curating the Iraqi pavillion for the 2017 Venice Biennale. He was a curator for the 2nd Mardin Biennale in 2012 and a curator for the 3rd Thessaloniki Biennial, in 2011. From 2001 to 2007 he was Curator of the Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo in Rome. From 1989 to 2000 he was the Director of the Centre d’Art Contemporain in Geneva. In 1999 he curated the 6th Istanbul Biennial. Among his exhibitions are: Ed Ruscha MixMaster (2015); Neighbors: Contemporary Narratives from Turkey and Beyond (2014); Faces (2012); Paradise Lost (2011); In Praise of Shadows (2009); Ed Ruscha (2004); Margherita Manzelli (2003); Francis Alÿs (2002); Kara Walker (2000); Christopher Wool (1999); Fatto in Italia: Contemporary Art from Italy (1997); Pipilotti Rist (1996); Ugo Rondinone (1996); Tony Oursler (1995); Rosemarie Trockel (1994); Juan Munoz (1991); Kiki Smith (1991); Robert Gober (1988); Carroll Dunham (1988).
He has been associate producer of a number of award winning films, more recently “The Edge of Heaven” and “Soul Kitchen” by Fatih Akin; and “The Tree” by Julie Bertuccelli, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Sprengel Tarsitano | Arte Laguna Prize

SUAD GARAYEVA
AZERBAIJAN, CURATORIAL DIRECTOR OF YARAT CONTEMPORARY ART CENTRE’S EXHIBITIONS AND PERMANENT COLLECTION

Suad Garayeva is Curatorial Director of YARAT Contemporary Art Centre, overseeing YARAT’s permanent collection and temporary exhibition programme. Previously she worked as a curator and a specialist in Contemporary Art from Russia and the CIS at Sotheby’s, London. She curated the pioneering At The Crossroads exhibitions, which introduced contemporary art from the Caucasus and Central Asia in 2013 and 2014. She also headed up Russian and Eastern European contemporary art sales. Garayeva has been a long-time collaborator of YARAT, curating their pavilion at the GRID International Photography Biennale in 2012 and 2014. She has also worked on numerous international exhibitions, such as the National Pavilion of Azerbaijan at the 53rd and 54th Venice Biennales. Most recently she curated YARAT’s official Collateral Event at the 56th Venice Biennale – The Union of Fire and Water. Garayeva has an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from LSE and an MLitt in Modern and Contemporary Art from the University of Glasgow. She is a member of the Russian and Eastern European Acquisitions Committee at Tate Modern, London.

Forbici Vicari | Arte Laguna Prize

ILARIA GIANNI
ITALY, CURATOR AND ART CRITIC

After graduating in Art History from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Rome La Sapienza, she received an MFA in Curating from Goldsmiths, University of London. From 2009 to 2016 she has been co-artistic director and curator of the Nomas Foundation, Rome. Since 2015 she has been the founder and curator of the event-exhibition GRANPALAZZO, Zagarolo.
She is Adjunct Professor of Art at John Cabot University, Rome and lecturer in the Master of Art at Luiss Guido Carli University, Rome and the Course of Advanced Training in “Museum and Events Curator” at the European Institute of Design, Rome.
She has curated several exhibitions and independent research projects in museums, international galleries and festivals such as MAXXI (Rome), MACRO (Rome), GNAM (Rome), American Academy in Rome, Matadero (Madrid), John Hansard Gallery (Southampton), MOA (Seoul), Loop Gallery (Seoul), Museum of Contemporary Art Villa Croce (Genoa), Micamoca (Berlin), Pastificio Cerere Foundation (Rome), Monitor (Rome), Maze Gallery (Turin), Galleria Spazio A (Pistoia), Furini Arte Contemporanea (Arezzo), Icastica (Arezzo), Kelmm’s Galerie (Berlin), Galerie Opdhal (Berlin), Frutta Gallery (Rome), Fondazione Adriano Olivetti (Rome). In 2008 she co-founded the publishing house IMpress (operating until 2011) and from 2009 to 2014 she was a member of the collective Art at Work. She was a member of the Art Situacions selection committee (2015-2016), Celeste Prize 2014, Icastica 2014 (Arezzo), MAXXI Award 2014, IX Furla Prize (2013), Lo Schermo dell’Arte (2011), Ettore Fico Prize (2010).
Besides being one of the Italian corresponents for “artforum.com”, she has contributed texts to various monographic catalogues and has published articles and essays in magazines such as «NERO», «Lo Specchio+», «Circa», «Flash Art», «Arte e Critica», «Psiche».

Luca Giordano | Arte Laguna Prize

NAV HAQ
BELGIUM, SENIOR CURATOR AT M HKA – MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART ANTWERP

Nav Haq is Senior Curator at M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp. He is Curator of the Göteborg International Biennial of Contemporary Art in 2017. Haq’s research as a curator and writer lies at the meeting points of culture and politics, theory and practice. He has considered art’s internationalism along with its relations with the ‘institution’ of art in the broadest sense of the term, seeking to rethink both. He was previously Exhibitions Curator at Arnolfini, Bristol, and Curator at Gasworks, London. Haq has curated numerous solo exhibitions with artists such as Hassan Khan, Cosima von Bonin, Shilpa Gupta, Kerry Tribe, Imogen Stidworthy, Alexandre Estrela and Otobong Nkanga. Group exhibitions have included Superpower: Africa in Science Fiction (2012) co-curated with Al Cameron; Museum Show – a major historical survey of (semi-fictional) museums created by artists (2011); the two-person exhibition The Sea Wall presenting works by Haegue Yang and Felix Gonzalez-Torres (2011); Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie: Class Hegemony in Contemporary Art, co-curated with Tirdad Zolghadr (2006-09); and Contour Biennial 2007, Mechelen, Belgium. At M HKA he co-curated the group exhibition Don’t You Know Who I Am? Art After Identity Politics together with Anders Kreuger in 2014, and he is presently organising the interdisciplinary exhibition Energy Flash: The Rave Movement opening in June 2016. Haq is on the editorial board of the online research platform for the L’Internationale Confederation of European Museums. In 2012 he was a recipient of the Independent Vision Award for Curatorial Achievement, awarded by Independent Curators International, New York.

Emanuele Montibeller | Arte Laguna Prize

EMANUELE MONTIBELLER
ITALY, ART DIRECTOR OF ARTE SELLA

Emanuele Montibeller, born in Borgo Valsugana in 1959, worked as a self-taught artist.
In 1986 he founded Arte Sella with two other friends.
He followed the early stages of Arte Sella and also the establishment of the homonymous Association.
He currently is the artistic director of Arte Sella, as well as a member of the Scientific Committee of Arte Pollino (Basilicata). Since 2009 he has been a board member of the S.Chiara Cultural Center in Trento. As a consultant in Italy and abroad, he is working on several cultural and artistic development projects.

Caroline Corbetta | Arte Laguna Prize

FATOS USTEK
UNITED KINGDOM, INDEPENDENT CURATOR & WRITER

Fatos Ustek is an independent curator and writer, from Istanbul, based in London. She is currently acting as Art Fund Curator at fig-2, editing the publication of 50 exhibitions in 50 weeks that she curated throughout 2015 at the ICA Studio, London. Formerly, Ustek acted as Associate Curator for the 10th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea, under the artistic direction of Jessica Morgan. She is a member of AICA and a regular contributor to international art magazines and numerous exhibition catalogues. She has curated an opera in five acts at DRAF, London; an exhibition trilogy entitled “Now Expanded” that took place at Kunstfabrik, Berlin; Tent, Rotterdam and DRAF, London among various group shows in Europe, Far East and Turkey. Ustek was co-founding editor of Nowiswere Contemporary Art Magazine actively engaged between 2008-2012, is the editor of Unexpected Encounters Situations of Contemporary Art and Architecture (Turkish Only, 2012; English Only, upcoming) published by Zorlu Centre, Istanbul; is author of Book of Confusions, 2012, published by Rossi&Rossi, London.

Adriano Berengo | Arte Laguna Prize

ALMA ZEVI
ITALY, CURATOR AND ART CRITIC

Alma Zevi (BA History of Art, Courtauld Institute, 2010) is a curator and writer specialised in contemporary art. From 2010 until 2016, Alma worked closely with Not Vital; preparing his Catalogue Raisonné and curating various of his international exhibitions.
In 2013, she founded her first permanent space – Lendi Projects – in Celerina, Switzerland. Here, early-career artists are invited to participate in an annual residency and exhibition. In early 2016 Zevi opened her gallery ALMA ZEVI, in Venice. The gallery works with artists of different generations, engaged in a variety of media.
Zevi has travelled to see the Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty; Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels; Walter de Maria’s Lightning Field; and the exhibition spaces founded by Donald Judd in Marfa, Texas.

SPECIAL PRIZES REPRESENTATIVES

Abhishek Basu | Arte Laguna Prize

ABHISHEK BASU
MANAGING TRUSTEE BASU FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS

Mr Abhishek Basu revived the Foundation which was started by his great grandfather and he is heading the International Relations of Basu Foundation for the Arts which comprises a jury of Indian & International Curators & Collectors who shortlist and finalise the selection of any artist selected and invited for the residency program.

Farm Cultural Park | Arte Laguna Prize

ADRIANO BERENGO
PRESIDENT OF BERENGO FOUNDATION

The Berengo Foundation have two missions. The first is to to revitalize and re-energize the glass industry in Murano so that it can take its place, once more, as the world-renowned centre of the glass industry and be able to attract new communities to contribute to its economic success and financial security. The second mission of the foundation is to educate those who are already interested in the art of glass-making, inspire those who are looking for a new medium for their work, and re-establish glass making as a skill and craft of the highest significance. Fondazione Berengo provides educational opportunities by offering, in collaboration with Arte Laguna Prize, a residency program for glass artists. The aim of this collaboration is to educate and inspire those Artists that are looking for a new medium and are interested in the art of glass-making. A critically important aspect of this project, is to position the glass art making on an international stage by continuing the highly acclaimed GLASSTRESS series of exhibitions.
Through this art residency program, artists have the opportunity to work in one of the most prolific glass making centres in the world, learning the skill and craft of glass making from masters in the trade. The foundation also provides work placements, short courses and summer schools, organizes international symposia and conferences, promotes research and funding opportunities and celebrates the work of glass innovation in international exhibitions.

Tamara Chalabi | Arte Laguna Prize

WU DAR-KUEN
DIRECTOR OF TAIPEI ARTIST VILLAGE AND TREASURE HILL ARTIST VILLAGE

Wu Dar-Kuen was the chief curator of Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts, and the director of VT Artsalon. He is also a creative artist in addition to being a curator. He has long been focusing on the generation and evolution of contemporary art and Asian cultures. He not only reflects on the social conditions of Asian countries with his unique artistic language, but also contemplates the ways to embody the philosophy of “art without borders” by treating art as a means under the impact of globalization and neoliberalism. In his long and prolific career as an artist, his works are collected by many prestigious museums and foundations. He was also the curator of over one hundred exhibitions, among which the two Kuandu Biennials Artist in Wonderland (2012) and Recognition System (2014), Republic without People (2011) which was hosted by Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts and the winner of the Jury’s Special Award of the 10th Tai-Shin Arts Awards, as well as Asia Anarchy Alliance (2014) held at Tokyo Wonder Site and Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts were his curatorial tours de force.

Nav Haq | Arte Laguna Prize

PAOLO DE GRANDIS
OPEN IDEATOR AND CURATOR | PDG ARTE COMMUNICATIONS PRESIDENT
CARLOTTA SCARPA
OPEN CO-CURATOR | PDG ARTE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
FRANCESCA ROMANA GRECO
OPEN ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGER | PDG ARTE COMMUNICATIONS

OPEN, International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations is designed to expose artworks in the open spaces of Venice Lido, San Servolo Island and Molino Stucky at the same time of International Venice Film Festival.
Even though the jury takes into consideration sculptures and installations, this definition is mainly indicative and does not constitute an element of discrimination. Therefore, if the works realized without using the above-mentioned techniques are compatible with the outdoor exposure, they will still be considered as works related to OPEN purposes.The fundamental selection criteria are: quality, innovation and reserch on style.

Flavio Arensi | Arte Laguna Prize

JERNEJ FORBICI
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL VISUAL ARTS FESTIVAL ART STAYS, INDEPENDENT CURATOR, ARTIST
MARIKA VICARI
CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS FESTIVAL ART STAYS, CURATOR AND ARTIST

Marika Vicari and Jernej Forbici cooperate with Art Stays (which is at its XIV edition) in the creation and organisation of several events and exhibitions of visual and performing art in Europe, studying and working with international artists and curators, creating events related to art, theatre and music, as well as conferences, readings, seminars and specific laboratories. They collaborate and curate the artistic-cultural planning of the FO.VI gallery of Kidričevo. They work with Italian and foreign institutions, both private and public, in order to promote the contemporary visual art. They select new proposals among young artists, looking for the most remarkable project for innovation, creativity and originality and they offer the opportunity to realize and present it to the contemporary art world.

Ksenia Serdyuk | Arte Laguna Prize

LUCA GIORDANO
DEGLUPTA OWNER

Luca Giordano is a young entrepreneur of the Venice Province. His creative nature pushed him to become an entrepreneur: his passion for art and fashion gives life to Deglupta, an idea which became soon a reality. The project starts from artists research, who paint their pictures on leathers. Then the single pieces are sewn by qualified craftsmen. The results are bags and accessorizes which are unique, precious and firts-quality pieces of art. These product are the fruit of a continuous research that can emphasise the prestige of made in Italy both in the choise of the artists and in the selection of the materials used in the production, but also in the models creation: these three elements are combined with great accuracy to obtain a winner product. Deglupta is looking for a dynamic artist with an open mind that pushes him to experiment new styles in order to obtain results that are always new, by making unique products, recognisable and capable of meeting the challenges of the market.

Ilaria Gianni | Arte Laguna Prize

ISABELLE LESMEISTER
ART HISTORIAN, FOUNDER OF GALERIE ISABELLE LESMEISTER

The gallery for contemporary art in Regensburg, founded in 2010 by Isabelle Lesmeister, aims at supporting and promoting young artists born after 1970 who mostly work outside the mainstream. The program shows various art forms like painting, graphics, objects, sculpture and photography while giving special emphasis to an innovative picture language and extraordinary techniques. A high value is set on a more or less obvious art historical approach of the artists in his works. Idea, technique, aesthetics and the topic of artworks are very important criteria for the selection of artists for the gallery.

Isabelle Lesmeister | Arte Laguna Prize

IVY PENG
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ART NOVA 100

Ivy Peng studied Museology at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, and worked for Beijing Highlight Gallery and the China Modern & Contemporary Art Document Research Center (CCAD). She was editor in the field of art and she was curator of different exhibition. Today she is the general manager of Beijing Mingtai Culture & Art. She is also the executive director of Art Nova 100, which was born five years ago to help young artists to grow together in a new and healthy order considering that they represent the future and its possibilities. Art Nova 100 appreciates those artists who have their own individuality and their own original ideas, those ones who are constantly evolving and developing, whose liberated thought processes are reflected in their works.

Fatos Ustek | Arte Laguna Prize

FERNANDO SANTOS
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF GALERIA FERNANDO SANTOS

In 1993 Mr Fernando Santos founded Galeria Fernando Santos in Porto, which marks the beginning of Rua Miguel Bombarda as a street devoted to art galleries. In cooperation with the Arte Laguna, the gallery looks for new forms of artistic expression (beyond the usual) like videos, performances, and installations. It also values works capable of reaching different cultures, that is, works made by artists, whose cultural context is very different from ours, but in the meantime their works have to be understandable. It seeks artists, whose works can enhance their artistic career and that allow the gallery to organize significant exhibitions in museums and prestigious institutional spaces. The choice relies on artists that also fit for the gallery’s exhibition line.

Ivy Peng | Arte Laguna Prize

KSENIA SERDYUK
FOUNDER AND OWNER OF ART RE.FLEX GALLERY

Ksenia Serdyuk was born in 1985 in Severodvinsk. In 2007, she graduated in Art History from the St. Petersburg State University with a thesis on the Еuropean Art of the 17th – 19th centuries. In 2013, she attended classes at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York. Since 2004, Ksenia Serdyuk has been focusing on contemporary art and has been working in a gallery business. In 2006, with her father, art collector Fedor Serdyuk, she founded a contemporary art gallery ART re.FLEX. Each year she administrates exhibitions at the gallery spaceas well as Russian and International art projects of ART re.FLEX in St Petersburg, Moscow and abroad. Since 2014, ART re.FLEX Gallery has become a partner of ARTE LAGUNA PRIZE.
ART re.FLEX criteria of selection the winner artist of the “Artist in Gallery” special prize is based on gallery’s vision and passion for art. Gallery’s aim is to support and to exhibit high standard contemporary art of emerging and mid-career international artists who work in a range of media.

Savina Tarsitano | Arte Laguna Prize
Fabrica | Arte Laguna Prize

HOLGER SPRENGEL
RESPONSIBLE FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS AND CO-FOUNDER OF ESPRONCEDA

Holger Sprengel is an art collector with several decades of experience into business.
Art today raises complex questions regarding the dialogue between artists and territories, urban and natural spaces. In this sense, they are interested in the way in which the artists question themselves about the space, whether it is tangible or intangibile, and about how their artistic research deals with cultural identity, modernity and traditions. Languages may vary from fotography to installation, from video to painting and sculpture.

SAVINA TARSITANO
RESPOSIBLE FOR CURATORIAL PRACTICE OF ARTISTIC PROGRAMS AT INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN LEVEL FOR ESPRONCEDA
Savina Tarsitano, is visual artist, curator, resercher with ten years’ experience in the artistic field. She has been workig with universities, foundations, cultural institutes, European and Asian embassies.

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