A glocal fair for the emerging contemporary art

Spring begins in Alto Adige with contemporary art: kunStart 12, Biennial Art Fair for Emerging Contemporary Art, takes place in Bolzano 16th – 18thMarch, 2012. Alongside the 70 galleries from 10 countries present at the fair venue, a rich programme of meetings and seminars spread all over the town is announced.
 

kunStart 12, Biennial Art Fair for Emerging Contemporary Art, takes place 16th – 18th March, 2012 in the Bolzano Fair district, opening with a vernissage on Friday, 17th at 7 pm, followed by _START OPENING PARTY, dedicated to meeting "vs. South Tyrol. South Korea."
Now in its eighth edition, kunStart presents some important news: starting from this year is organized directly by Fiera Bolzano Spa, it also becomes biennial and chooses to specialize in emerging contemporary art market.
After the success of 2010, also this year kunStart is combined with the interior design fair 'Arredo' in order to welcome a wider audience and promote interest in the sector of "affordable", or the art at affordable prices.
Developed around the idea of ‘emerging contemporary’, kunStart 12 is aimed at galleries and exhibition spaces that are active at an international level in researching new artistic proposals and producing young artists, focusing in particular on geographical emerging contexts. The next edition sees the presence of more than 70 galleries from 10 different countries, and in addition to the exhibition hall, a rich programme of events, meetings and conferences inhabit various parts of the city of Bolzano, in collaboration with other institutions and cultural associations.
kunStart is part of a region with a renewed artistic sensibility that has already hosted the Biennial of Contemporary Art Manifesta 7 and today has become an authentic district for the arts thanks to its prestigious exhibition spaces: the Museion in Bolzano, the Mart in Rovereto, the Galleria Civica di Trento and the Kunst Merano Arte in Meran. In addition to establishing strong local roots, through the creation of a network of collaborations with the present institutions, the event also maintains an international dimension, by building dialogue with distant geographical areas that are less known from the artistic point of view. It is at the intersection of the international and local development that many of the projects are aimed, at the ‘glocal’ spaces of contemporary art.
The award "The Glocal Rookie of the Year" in its third edition, is dedicated to artists under 35, with the aim of supporting the career of young talents who show promise in the intepretation and conceputalisation of the 'glocal'. Organised by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano and kunStart, the event has a jury co-ordinated by the art critic and curator Valerio Dehò, who presents the award March 17th, 2012 in kunStart 12. Among the other emergent artists, the young Valentina Miorandi, presented by Trento-based Boccanera Contemporanea art gallery: some of her works will be transformed into posters going to occupy urban spaces. With the intention of starting international project, the "Korea Focus," presents an overview of emerging production in South Korea with a group of participating galleries coordinated by Chris H. Cheon (President of the Franco-Korean cultural exchange Association Nez-a-Nez), alongside European galleries exhibiting Korean artists. A large supporting programme of lectures, presentations and artist talks sponsored by the General Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Milan and personal exhibitions of Jeong Min Suh by the A & B Gallery and Hyon Soo Kim by Valerio Dehò, as well as an exhibition with works by Nam June Paik's from the archive collection “Pari e Dispari” of Rosanna Chiessi Chiessi and the dialogue between the couple of artists MinJi Kim e Alessandro Dal Pont (from South Korea and from Belluno in Italy, respectively) curated by dolomiti contemporanee. kunStart also suggests uncommon ways aiming at drawing parallels between different sectors and disciplines: Special Bike Project combines contemporary art and sustainable mobility. The famous international artist Rainer Ganahl, will give artist talk taking place at the Museion on the eve of the fair, March 15, and of a personal entitled “I WANNA BE…”, realized in collaboration with kooio art gallery staged in the fair’s spaces from March 16 to 18, where he plays with Dinghi bicycles on the theme of green technology. In the Museion spaces, the installation “La Scorta” (Ecology and Power), 2012 by Gianfranco Baruchello will be exhibited, ralized in collaboration with RAM radioartemobile, Roma. On March, 16th at 4,30 pm in Latemar Hall at Bolzano Exhibition Centre RAM radioartemobile promotes and organizes the second DAC meeting: a round table PRODUCERS vs ARTISTS. The artists Gianfranco Baruchello, Rainer Ganahl and Daniele Puppi will discuss with the South-Tyrolean enterpreneurs in the bike sector Maurizio De Concini e Ingrid Dellago, CEO of TC Mobility SRL, Franz Viehweider owner of PimpGarage by Vasc. Ital. SAS, Gianfranco Pizzuto (Fisker Italia) and Hugo Götsch President of the Association Südtirol Rad – Bici Alto Adige. During the fair a free bike-rental point will be in use for visitors to Bolzano. 
Many other projects and special events are part of the program of KunStart 12, Biennial Art Fair for Emerging Contemporary Art. Among others, the Countdown Design Show 2012, an auction dedicated to the new trend of ‘upcycling’ or regeneration of used materials to create new products; and also KunSt_off GALLERIES nIGHT - opening night of fifteen spaces for contemporary art in Bolzano is scheduled for Saturday, March 17 from 6 pm until midnight.

Institutional partners of kunStart 12 are: the Autonomous Region Trentino-AltoAdige, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano, Comune di Bolzano, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, Südtirol Marketing, Italian Consolate of the Republic of Korea in Italy.
Partners of the fair: http://www.fierabolzano.it/kunstart/en/sistema.htm
Media partners: espoarte contemporary art magazine, artribune, exibart, artfacts.net, artports.com, kunsttermine, artmagazine.cc, arskey, artvista, inside, rivista segno, bluarte, seroxcult, art a part of cult(ure), 1f mediaproject, artprofil magazin fur kunst, theartkey, kritika, l'urlo, next exit, hestetika.

“KunStart”, Bolzano’s art fair for up-and-coming modern art, will take place from March 16 to 18, 2012 in a region that has demonstrated a growing interest in contemporary art, particularly over the last ten years.  The border region of Trentino-Alto Adige (or South Tyrol), in which collectors and art lovers from nearby Alpine countries and the Italian art market have the opportunity to meet with each other, thrives as a result of its openness, multilingualism, and multiculturalism.  A translocally oriented tradeshow focusing on current art production covering all areas, including in its interrelations with the neighboring fields of architecture and design, will be presented in order to promote the natural dealings with art on the part of a varied public and consequently to also foster growth in the art market.  

 “On the occasion of the next furnishing tradeshow Arredo, it is with great pleasure that we will also be presenting KunStart,” announced Gernot Rössler, president of the Bolzano/Bozen Exhibition Center. He went on to add, “Taking place on the first weekend of Arredo, it will now be held for the eight time, and it will continue on with a biennial schedule.”  Two years ago, “KunStart” was already timed to take place together with “Arredo”. By means of the consolidation of these two events, new synergies were created for two sectors that mutually complement each other.  With this formula, a broad public is given a better understanding of the contemporary art and culture scene.  “KunStart” will feature art objects of local and international origin in the most varied of price categories.  The initiative “Sold Out” had a positive reception, thanks to visitors in 2010 who had the opportunity to win an art work with a value of 5,000 euros, an occasion to discuss art as a purchasable object that is even within the means of many, as well as the perfect chance to overcome the fear of getting started in that regard.
    “In the past, renowned modern art galleries have also exhibited at KunStart,” says Nina Stricker, the new project manager of the art fair.  “It is international in its orientation, and with its new byline, “biennial art fair for emerging contemporary art”, it seeks to position itself in the segment of young, up-and-coming galleries for which there is no art fair in Italy, but for which there is very definitely an economic potential.” 
    Over sixty galleries from fifteen countries will be exhibiting contemporary works of art from rising artists.  The event will be rounded out by initiatives and tradeshow appearances by a variety of cultural organizations and museums, including the initiative “The Glocal Rookie of the Year”, which in 2009, together with “KunStart”, brought to life the art award from the Südtiroler Sparkasse Foundation which is to support young talent in its career path.  The initiative will be coordinated and directed by the Italian curator Valerio Dehò.
    After the success of “Focus Japan” two years ago, there will once again be a concentration on one country in 2012, this time with recent art from Korea.  Numerous additional projects within the framework of “KunStart” are in the preparation stage, and there is discussion of organizing a new edition of the exhibition "Intersections" – likewise with a view toward the East, in particular toward Russia, a market in the limelight whose galleries have up to now hardly been present at art fairs in Western Europe.

KunStart 12, biennial art fair for emerging contemporary art
Opening: March 16, 7:00 P.M., Bolzano/Bozen Exhibition Center, Pavilion B
Opening hours: March 16 to 18, 2012, 10.00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

Complete information may be found at www.kunstart.it and www.arredo.messebozen.it