Futuro presente / Present continuous/

A fabulous opportunity to visit the first international festival to give a voice to contemporary art in FAENZA, Italy on 23 - 25 May 2008.

Three days will be dedicated to the near future of contemporary art, as told by curators, artists and professionals.

The festival will host national and international guests, together with the scientific committee of the event, made up of professors from the IUAV University in Venice: Angela Vettese, director of the Municipal Gallery of Modena, Carlos Basualdo, curator of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Pier Luigi Sacco, the scientific director of goodwill and of the strategic plan for the cultural district of Faenza. Together these people will guide the public in the discovery of the secrets of contemporary art, and its future trends, by talking about "what it is going to be rather than what it is now, at a time when the art system is evolving and growing at an almost unsustainable pace", explains Pier Luigi Sacco.

With an innovative format, Futuro Presente / Present Continuous was founded as a result of the need to revive the voice of contemporary art. For this reason it has been conceived as a Festival of words, for a moment of reflection on the themes and with the leading figures of the world of art, rather than adding to the profusion of important exhibitions that are currently packed into the international calendar of contemporary art. "Discussion is essential in the field of contemporary art", says Angela Vettese, "because it is not only something which inspires workers, but also a useful and necessary means of drawing in the swarms of enthusiasts who are increasingly coming into contact with art, precisely because of the difficulty of understanding the issues linked to contemporary art. The talks which will take place during the Festival of Faenza aim to provide a response to this growing curiosity from the general public and the media".

The three days in May will be enlivened with meetings, seminars, presentations, debates and workshops for students, as well as other events promoted by the all city.

In addition to the appointments dedicated to art, with big names such as Joseph Kosuth, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Achille Bonito Oliva and Germano Celant, there will also be previews of the schedule of the most important institutions and events on the future calendar of contemporary art. These range from the long-awaited travelling biennial exhibition, Manifesta, scheduled for the first time in Italy in 2008, to the new Whitechapel, which will open to the public in 2009, after an important extension plan, designed by the architects Robbrecht en Daem. Museums and their transformation will be at the centre of the debate, with the involvement of directors from important Italian and international museums. In addition to the English speaker, the debate will also include Udo Kittelmann, the director of the Berlin State Museums, Gerald Matt, from the Vienna Kunsthalle, Eduardo Cicelyn from the Museo Madre in Naples, and Danilo Eccher from the Macro in Rome, to name but a few.

Special attention will be paid to the extensive contamination with the economy, with the participation of entrepreneurs who will explain their reasons for investing in contemporary art today. Such contamination has also occurred with other fields of creativity, from fashion, which will be discussed by the designer Antonio Marras with Maria Luisa Frisa, to architecture, to design.

Another important theme for discussion will be linked to the fact that today an increasing number of young people in Italy and the world opt for training in the artistic professions, involving representatives from Italian and foreign art schools, including Robert Storr, the director of the Venice Biennale 2007 and of the Yale University School of Art.

"We are trying to work together with Italian, European and international schools", explains Carlos Basualdo. "These initial contacts will be a kind of dry run. Several events within the Festival will aim to put the Faenza environment in contact with international universities, with the view of creating future collaboration projects which will develop in the next editions of the Festival".

Futuro Presente / Present Continuous will provide an opportunity for meetings and debates in order to understand contemporary art and its potential developments, as well as to get to know the treasures of an area which has concentrated on culture. "Faenza", explains Pier Luigi Sacco, "is taking a risk. It aims to construct a new development model which truly focuses on culture and which is aimed at everyone. This should become a fundamental, acknowledged element of the quality of everyday life. The Festival is not taking place in this city by chance, but it is a starting point for opening dialogue with other areas that have lots of experience and energy, in the belief that they can establish bonds which will strengthen with time and provide this city with long-lasting results".

To find out more visit www.festivalartecontemporanea.it