I – You: XIV Florence Biennale

Personal and collective identities at the center of the XIV Florence Biennale. International Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Design” at Fortezza da Basso in Florence from 14 to 22 October 2023.

“I, you. Individual and collective identities in contemporary art and design”: the title of the XIV Florence Biennale is intended to emphasize how important it is to put yourself in other people’s shoes and to evoke, even in the differences that distinguish us, that common feeling which unites people rather than divides them.

Personal and collective identity, cultural, religious and territorial identity, gender identity, multiple identities, fluid identities: no perspective or possibility is excluded in the labyrinth of processes of identification and, ultimately, self-awareness, which we intend to shed light on through numerous artistic contributions , which will revive the XIV Florence Biennale. The theme of the XIV Florence Biennale is actually focused on concepts of individual and collective identity in their many philosophical, psychological, sociological and cultural meanings.. On the one hand, the concept of identity can be associated with characteristics that distinguish us from others as unique and unrepeatable individuals, like our personal data and our genetic heritage. On the other hand, identity is related to the need to belong to one or more groups or communities which helps determine how we are perceived by ourselves and others.

Moreover, individual and collective identity can be seen as two constantly intertwined perspectives that only together allow us to understand who we are or who we want to be. Thus, the theme of the XIV Florence Biennale embraces a comprehensive perspective, considering the personal and social spheres as two sides of the same coin: a medal forged since a feeling that prompts us, in our search for our Self, to compare ourselves with others through interaction, exchange, exchange and empathy. In this sense, rather than on the idea of ​​identity, which once and for all defines who we are, we intend to emphasize the internal changes that accompany us, experience after experience, throughout our lives.

Based on these ideas, artists and designers participating in the XIV Florence Biennale were invited to offer their own interpretation of the concepts of individual and collective identity.with the aim of developing a dialogue based on mutual recognition, mutual understanding and cultural exchange, a dialogue oriented towards a future that will be built on common feelings, away from closed individualism and irritable opposition that gives rise to conflicts and humiliation: a future based on harmony, peace and upliftment a humanity in which the free expression of Self is accompanied by the awareness that others are part of us and that each of us is part of the whole.

Lifetime Achievement Awards

The Lorenzo the Magnificent Lifetime Achievement Award goes to American artist David LaChapelle.

He is a world famous American photographer and director. David LaChapelle the names of the winners of the XIV Florence Biennale for lifetime achievements (we have already talked about this here). The artist will be awarded the “Lorenzo the Magnificent” Lifetime Achievement Award with the following motivation: “as a tribute to one of the most talented and influential photographers of our time and in recognition his unique style and exceptional artistic output based on imagination, experimentation and creativity., which conveys deep social messages. With his visionary, original and bold vision, he has inspired many other artists and audiences around the world.” On the occasion of the XIV Florence Biennale as guest of honor LaChapelle will exhibit a series of works created between 2009 and 2023., including the work Gated Community, which premiered at the solo exhibition “David LaChapelle for Giacomo Ceruti. Nomad in a Beautiful Country” is currently running at the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in Brescia. Moreover, During the awards ceremony at the XIV Florence Biennale, scheduled for October 17 and open to the public, the artist will give a speech which already promises to be long-awaited.

An undisputed pop culture icon, LaChapelle’s work has immortalized some of the most famous figures of our time, including Elton John, Dua Lipa, Michael Jackson, Eminem, Whitney Houston, Muhammad Ali, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Cher, Travis Scott, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tupac Shakur, Britney Spears, Naomi Campbell – Just to name a few. In his complex surreal scenography, where there is no shortage of provocations, as well as obvious references to classical art, spirituality and worldliness, eros and nature, pomposity and irony converge with each other, giving life to a new photographic language and a new art form.

The Leonardo da Vinci Lifetime Achievement Award has been awarded to Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

He will be an architect artist and engineer Santiago Calatrava second laureate of the XIV Florence Biennale for outstanding achievements; Calatrava will be awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Prize for his lifetime achievements in design with the following motivation: “This prize is the Florence Biennale’s tribute to one of the most influential architects of our time and recognition his bold experiments, his extraordinary talent and his ingenious ability to combine architecture and art in projects conceived and created in harmony with nature. and is focused on the ideals of beauty.” As a guest of honor, Calatrava will receive a special exhibition space in the Cavaniglia Pavilion, 23 years after his last Florentine exhibition in 2000 at the Palazzo Strozzi. In addition, during the awards ceremony at the XIV Florence Biennale, scheduled for On October 19, Calatrava will give a speech in the theater area of ​​the Spadolini Pavilion, Fortezza da Basso, which is open to the public. in the presence of the public.

Among the most influential architects of the last fifty years Calatrava is the protagonist of an architecture that respects the forces that flow through creations, sometimes embodied in bold formal solutions.

. The Spanish architect created bridges, infrastructure, conference and exhibition centers during a career full of great successes, not only as an architect, but also as an artist, capable of expressing himself through different languages, including drawing and sculpture.

Guests of honor and special projects

“I AM UKRAINE”: a special project in support of Ukrainian artists

On the occasion of the 14th edition of the Florence Biennale, an exhibition space will be allocated a selection of Ukrainian artists, as a sign of solidarity in relation to a country attacked and devastated by war, with the aim of promoting the art and culture of a people who continue to defend their land from invaders and have not lost hope that they can soon return to peace.

“I AM MAHSAH”: FREEDOM OF WOMEN’S LIFE

On the occasion of the 14th edition of the Florence Biennale, an exhibition space will be allocated “Women’s Revolution”, through a selection of works by Iranian women artists., as a sign of moral support for the demonstrations taking place in Iran and condemnation of repressive actions against the population. The space was named after Mahsa Amini, whose death became a symbol of the revolution of the Iranian people, whose motto is “Woman, Life, Freedom” and which has now spread throughout the world.

“The Magician of Color” Galdos Rivas Guest of Honor at the XIV Florence Biennale 2023

Enrique Galdos Rivas will be the guest of honor and will receive the “Lorenzo the Magnificent” Presidential Award for Distinguished Service. A series of his works will be exhibited and his retrospective will be shown during a musical performance by his daughters. Marta Galdós and Blanca Galdós and their ensemble.

Enrique Gerardo Galdos Rivas, born in Lima, Peru in 1933, is a Peruvian artist and printmaker who attempts to break with received knowledge and go beyond the usual ocher and sepia tones of 1950s painting to fiercely reproduce the vibrant colors of church windows. . His extraordinary use of colors earned him the nickname “Master of Color.” (Karl Buchholz, Columbia, 1979). Likewise, the artist devotes himself to deconstructing everything he has learned, transmuting pre-Hispanic figures and iconography with exceptional skill. Through his inclusion of designs and forms of pre-Columbian expression, Galdos Rivas is considered an artist bridging the avant-garde of the second half of the 20th century with the ancient iconography of the pre-Hispanic cultures of Peru. (Mochica, Nazca, Paracas, Chavin, etc.), whom critics consider an artist of ancestralism (Treccani Encyclopedia of Contemporary Art, Milan, 2021; Ancestralism, Rit-Magni, Isabel, 1994). The artist is mentioned as a reference for this trend and its variables in more than 40 international publications.

Amalia Del Ponte Guest of Honor at the XIV Florence Biennale 2023

Amalia Del Ponte will be the guest of honor and will receive the Presidential Lorenzo the Magnificent Award for outstanding service. His new project “You are me” will be presented at the exhibitioninspired by the theme of this edition of the event. Amalia Del Ponte’s work is divided between art and science through research exploring the relationship between sculpture, music and new technologies.. Born in Milan in 1936, she began her research into materials in the 1960s. Over the course of several years, her almost scientific approach led her to create ever simpler and purer forms. International recognition came in 1973, when, at the invitation of Bruno Munari and Umbro Apollonio, she took part in Biennial of Sao Paulo

(one of the most relevant in the world at that time), where he presented a work called “Perceptual Zone”, with which he received the First Prize in the field of sculpture.

In 1995, on a call from Gillo Dorfles participates in the XLVI International Art Biennale in Venice. and in the Italian Pavilion an entire private room is dedicated to her. Here he exhibits “Lithophones,” sound stones that highlight invisible correspondences between geometric shapes, musical scales and color schemes. In 2010 he created the project for the Certosa Island in the Venetian Lagoon; is a series of video installations installed inside four casemates (former Austrian gunpowder magazines built a few meters from the water). The work, titled “The Realm of the Possible, the Invisible,” is a meditation on how art and science make invisible realities visible.

Information and tickets

FLORENCE BIENNALE | OCTOBER 14 – 22, 2023

Fortezza da Basso, Viale Filippo Strozzi 1, Florence FI

The exhibition is open to the public from 14 to 22 October 2023, including holidays, from 10:00 to 20:00, closing on Monday 16th. Last entry allowed one hour before closing. The cash desk is open every day from 10.00 to 19.00. On Sunday, the 22nd, the ticket office closes at 6:00 p.m.

Booking and pre-sale

To guarantee direct access to the exhibition, bypassing the ticket office, and to minimize waiting times, it is strongly recommended to purchase your ticket online. The ticket can also be purchased at the Fortezza da Basso ticket office on the same day of your visit.

Tel.: +39 055 32 49 173

Tickets@florencebienale.org