From North to South, from Lazio to Veneto, a month filled with public art festivals and outdoor performances in unconventional settings. A calendar of events, all with free admission.
Outside of museums, in the streets, among alleyways, outdoors or indoors in repurposed buildings. Throughout the month of September, from the north to the south of Italy, there are several noteworthy events featuring non-institutional art festivals and exhibitions. These are deserving of attention not only for the dedication and expertise of the artists and curators involved, but also for their openness to public participation—an approach that should also be understood as a means of economic, cultural, and social development for the local area.
It all kicks off on September 1 with the biennial environmental art festival “Seminaria Sogninterra,” now in its fourth edition. It runs for just three days (ending on September 3) in Maranola, a name that might evoke the Cinque Terre, but in this case refers to a medieval village near Formia (in the province of Latina), overlooking the Gulf of Gaeta. There, the residents and volunteers have opened their homes and taken part in the realization of Seminaria. The festival, directed by Isabella Indolfi and Marianna Fazzico, features 12 artists from across Italy and abroad, who will present their works along a one-kilometer exhibition route, following the chosen theme for this edition: “1:1 scale,” indicating the relationship between the artworks and reality. The audience will see life-sized installations, sculptures, as well as relational and multimedia works by artists Emanuela Ascari, Laura Cionci, Alexandra Dementieva, Davide Dormino, Anna Frants, Alexei Kostroma, Giacomo Lion, Aurora Meccanica, Gino Sabatini Odoardi, Stalker, Saverio Todaro, and Delphine Valli.
Next, from September 3rd, in Marina di Ginosa, Puglia, the “Happening” festival takes place, offering a month of performances, actions, and contemporary art installations in makeshift structures such as “beach huts,” as well as in historic places like the Antiquarium of Metaponto, which will host an exhibition and the closing event at the end of September. The event, involving Italian artists Alessia Armeni, Andrea Aversa, Davide Cascio, Jok?bas ?ižikas, Linda Cuglia, Brynjar Helgason, Daniel Kemeny, Valentina Sartori, and other artists from the Pietra Paola residency, is entirely free and organized by artist Linda Cuglia with the patronage of the Soprintendenza Archeologica della Basilicata.
From September 7th to 11th, “Electro Camp” takes place in Veneto, with the promotion and organization of the cultural association Live Arts Cultures. This is an experimental platform dedicated to new contributions in performing arts. The event, now in its fourth edition, will take place at Forte Marghera in Venice-Mestre, focusing on sound-movement research.
Performing arts are also at the center of the “Habitat, Scenari Possibili” exhibition, scheduled from September 10th to October 2nd at Naviglio Martesana (Milan) in seven natural locations. The initiative, organized by Ilinxarium, curated by Nicolas Ceruti, and promoted by Regione Lombardia, is part of Ecoismi, an international contemporary art event exploring the relationship between art, humans, and nature. Habitat features four weekends open to everyone, with performances, talks, and dialogues with artists and experts. The program includes various events like walking and cycling tours and aperitifs on contemporary art topics with critics and artists, in locations affected by the installations, such as Vimodrone, Vaprio d’Adda, Cassano d’Adda, Inzago, Cernusco sul Naviglio, Cassina de’ Pecchi, and Parco Adda Nord.
At the end of September, the Livenel festival will be held for the first time, from September 23rd to 25th, at the former Enel offices in Piacenza. Livenel focuses on research and experimentation in visual arts, highlighting the work of young performers.
by Valentina Bernabei
La Repubblica August 31, 2016