In New York, in the heart of Chelsea, amidst the city’s trendiest contemporary art galleries, the grand opening took place at the Chelsea Museum of the wining artworks of the first edition of the Terna Prize. The New York museum, a meeting point and important venue for exhibits and artworks coming from all over the world, has asked to host the winning artworks of the 2008 edition of the Terna Prize 01 recognizing the project’s strong cultural value becoming one of the most representative of the Italian and international contemporary artistic scenes. The exhibit is accompanied by a catalogue created with the photographs and texts written by the artists for presenting in New York their visual exploration and offering a special point of view on Italy. The catalogue in English has been distributed in 3,000 copies to those working in the art sector: galleries, museums and cultural centers. During the New York exhibit, a study has also be presented on the perception that American art operators have of Italian contemporary art representing a useful basis for reflection aimed at enriching knowledge in this sector within a framework of exchange and international growth.
The opening night has been attended by the contemporary art and cultural worlds present in the Big Apple, collectors, gallery owners, the curator Gianluca Marziani and the 16 artists winners of the Terna Prize 01: Luigi Ontani, for the Terawatt category; Francesco Arena, Giovanni Ozzola, Elena Baldelli, Gabriele Giugni, Riccardo Albanese, Davide Eron Salvadei, Gabriele Bonato for the Gigawatt category; Andrea Chiesi, Laura Cantarella, Rocco Dubbini, Davide Bertocchi, Raffaella Mariniello, Antonio Riello and Giovanni Albanese for the Megawatt category and Hotel de la Lune, winner of the Online Prize.
The exhibit held at the Chelsea Museum is the first event part of Connectivity, the internationalization project of the Terna Prize created with the support of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at establishing an interconnection between Italian and foreign artists based on sharing and exchanging experiences. Each year, as part of the project, a world capital of contemporary art will be chosen with whom to enter into connectivity, starting with New York. In addition to the regular categories competing in the contest, Terawatt (only by invitation for established artists), Megawatt and Gigawatt (for emerging artists over and under 35 years, respectively), the 2009 edition presents a special Connectivity New York category open to both foreign and Italian artists working in the Big Apple.
There was also a greater internationalization of the Prize’s jury with the presence of well-known international figures such as Mattew Higgs, Director of the White Columns of New York and Vicente Todoli', Director of the Tate Modern Gallery in London. The winners of the first prizes received an "Artist Residency Program" in Rome and in New York for 3 months.
2009-06-25
