PANORAMA MONFERRATO
Camagna, Vignale, Montemagno and Castagnole
4–8 September 2024
Curated by Carlo Falciani
After Procida, Monopoli and L’Aquila ITALICS brought to the Monferrato area of Piedmont the fourth edition of Panorama, the region-wide exhibition that since 2021, on an annual basis, has been connecting architecture, art and landscape with the territory and its communities.
The fourth edition of Panorama came to a highly successful close Sunday 8 September 2024. Curated by Carlo Falciani, Panorama Monferrato, the region-wide art exhibition conceived by ITALICS,had more than 10,000 visitors experience its itinerary through the vineyards, churches, castles and parish churches of the four chosen towns in the Piedmont region – Camagna, Vignale, Montemagno and Castagnole. Once again, it succeeded in creating a transversal narrative that brought together ancient, modern and contemporary art, inviting the public to participate in a personal and collective journey to rediscover an extraordinary corner of Italy.
During the 5-day event, the towns of Camagna, Vignale, Montemagno and Castagnole in Monferrato welcomed 63 artists, more than 150 artworks and 62 galleries, creating a region-wide art exhibition confirming Panorma’s ability to create a dialogue between architecture, ancient, modern and contemporary art and the local area and its communities.
The area extends between the provinces of Alessandria and Asti to the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines, between the Langhe and Roero and the historic Lombardy region of Lomellina. In this hilly landscape, the land and rural traditions are part of a unique heritage of culture, history and traditions, also recognized by UNESCO. It deserves a slow exploration and offers artistic itineraries ranging from the Romanesque to contemporary routes with site-specific installations and public art, making it a region-wide open-air museum.
Inspired by the principles of La civil conversazione, a work written by Stefano Guazzo and published in 1574, Panorama Monferrato unveiled an itinerary that differed from the usual tourist flows by investigating the local area’s roots and casting a light on its unique identity: the itinerary, which the curator based on the model of Renaissance initiatory journeys, was meant to be taken slowly, a metaphor for a path of meditation.
“The exhibition project is inspired by principles expressed in La civil conversazione, and the themes that have been extrapolated from it are the focus of debate even today. Because the exhibition is spread over several different towns,” explained curator Carlo Falciani, “the sequence of themes is also meant to be a metaphor for the Renaissance journey of initiation: one example above all is Francesco Colonna’s 1499 Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. In this text, the protagonist embarks on a journey of growth and inner transformation marking some milestones through encounters with people, works of art, architecture or thoughts, but also existential trials and reflections that substantially change him.”
Divided into chapters, the exhibition developed themes that crossed the ages in each town: Lavoro e radici [Labor and Roots], Ritratto e identità [Portrait and Identity], Caducità e morte [Transience and Death] and Sacralità dell’arte, anche laica [Sacredness of Art, including Secular Art]. The more than 150 works on exhibit included paintings, sculptures, installations and video-art works, a cross-section of Art History, from the 2nd century through to the present day, thanks to the contributions of 63 artists and 62 ITALICS galleries, engaging with spaces such as the former Cottolengo center and the Loggia of the Palazzo Comunale in Camagna, Palazzo Callori, its Theater and the church of the Battuti in Vignale, the Castle and the Voltoni Scalea Barocca in Montemagno, the church of the Annunziata, the Casa della Maestra and the former Regina Elena nursery school in Castagnole.
In addition to the strong turnout recorded at the exhibition venues in each of Panorama Monferrato’s towns, participation was also excellent for the Public Program that makes Panorama a must for enthusiasts and insiders alike, as well as a unifying experience for the entire cultural system.
The Colazione con l’Artista [Breakfasts with the Artists] were an opportunity to create synergies between the public, curators and artists; the project workshops and talks, held in collaboration with Turin’s cultural institutions, were stimulating for the public and brought them closer to art through less conventional fields such as phytoalimurgy, gastronomy, music and science, while the screenings recounted the area’s identity through a visual journey. Another event that captured the project’s communal spirit took place in the evening, the merenda sinoira, an opportunity for the public to experience the rural tradition of farmers getting together for food and company, and then the sound performances, and the evocative dinner with a panoramic view at the Belvedere di Castagnole.
There was also the ceremony to award the Italics d’Oro, the fourth edition of this prize, which each year celebrates the bond between an artist and the territory: this year it was given to Paolo Icaro, one of the leading artists on the scene in the 1960s. Born in Turin, he worked in both Europe and America, taking part in some of the most important events in the Italian art scene of the second half of the twentieth century. Icaro has always felt an undying connection with the local area’s identity.
Panorama Monferrato was a unique exhibition experience, perfectly embodying the values of ITALICS by emphasizing the great importance of dialogue and collaboration. As usual, it brought together ancient, modern and contemporary art, multiple artistic styles, techniques and thoughts in itineraries that led to the discovery of the most authentic and lesser known aspects of our country, continuing the extraordinary journey that began in 2020 on the webpages of the Italics.art platform. With a format sought and shared by the consortium’s member galleries with the aim of collaborating with the territories, Panorama is the symbol of a commitment to gradually expanding a program and alliances that reaffirm the importance and role of art galleries in an ever-evolving local and global cultural system.
Photo Credits: Louis De Belle, Cosmo Laera and Giorgio Salimeni
The artists:
Vincenzo Agnetti (Milan, 1926–1981), Carlo Amalfi (Piano di Sorrento, 1707 – Naples, 1787), Armando Andrade Tudela (Lima, 1975), Anonymous masters of arms of the 18th-19th centuries, Salvatore Astore (S. Pancrazio Salentino, 1957), Atelier dell’Errore (Reggio Emilia, 2002), Marco Bagnoli (Empoli, 1949), Romina Bassu (Rome, 1982), Cabinet Maker of the 19th century, Mirabello Cavalori (Florence, 1535–1572), Gianpietro Carlesso (Bozen, 1961), Giuseppe Cesari known as il Cavalier d’Arpino (Arpino, 1568 – Rome, 1640), Edson Chagas (Luanda, 1977), Claire Fontaine (Paris, 2004), Betty Danon (Istanbul, 1927 – Milan, 2002), Elisabetta Di Maggio (Milan, 1964), Binta Diaw (Milan, 1995), Latifa Echakhch (El Khnansa, 1974), Sara Enrico (Biella, 1979), Theaster Gates (Chicago, 1973), Invernomuto (Milan, 2003), Francesco Jodice (Naples, 1967), Alex Katz (New York, 1927), Esther Kläs (Mainz, 1981), Master of the Gualino Saint Catherine (14th century), Damien Meade (Limerick, 1969), Richard Meitner (Philadelphia, 1949), Fausto Melotti (Rovereto, 1901 – Milan, 1986), Lala Meredith-Vula (Sarajevo, 1966), Marzia Migliora (Alessandria, 1972), Giorgio Morandi (Bologna, 1890–1964), Margherita Moscardini (Donoratico, 1981), Maria Nepomuceno (Rio de Janeiro, 1976), Maria Elisabetta Novello (Vicenza, 1974), Claudio Parmiggiani (Luzzara, 1943), Gianni Pellegrini (Riva del Garda, 1953), Diego Perrone (Asti, 1970), Susana Pilar (Havana, 1984), Alfredo Pirri (Cosenza, 1957), Painter of the 19th century, Gio’ Pomodoro (Orciano di Pesaro, 1930 – Milano, 2002), Tal R (Tel Aviv, 1967), Giuseppe Recco (Naples, 1634 – Alicante, 1695), Moira Ricci (Orbetello, 1977), Ottone Rosai (Florence, 1895 – Ivrea, 1957), Arcangelo Sassolino (Vicenza, 1967), Pierluigi Scandiuzzi (Padua, 1993), Salvatore Scarpitta (New York, 1919–2007), Markus Schinwald (Salzburg, 1973), Ariel Schlesinger (Jerusalem, 1980), Jana Schröder (Brilon, 1983), Sculptor of the 2nd century CE, Shimabuku (Kobe, 1969), Guido Trentini (Verona, 1889–1975), Patrick Tuttofuoco (Milan, 1974), Giuseppe Uncini (Fabriano, 1929 – Trevi, 2008), Michel Verjux (Chalon-sur-Saône, 1956), Pieter Vermeersch (Kortrijk, 1973), Francesco Vezzoli (Brescia, 1971), Franco Vimercati (Milan, 1940–2001), Marianne Vitale (East Rockaway, 1973), Luca Vitone (Genoa, 1964), Akram Zaatari (Sidone District, 1966).
Check the Panorama Monferrato video out HERE
Participating galleries:
A arte Invernizzi, Galerie Rolando Anselmi, Apalazzogallery, Alfonso Artiaco, Bacarelli, Bottegantica, Botticelli Antichità, Galleria Canesso, Car Gallery, Cardi Gallery, Carlo Orsi, Alessandro Cesati, Galleria Continua, Galleria Raffaella Cortese, Thomas Dane Gallery, Monica De Cardenas, Dep Art Gallery, Galleria Tiziana Di Caro, Alessandra Di Castro, Galleria Umberto Di Marino, Galleria Doris Ghetta, Galleria d’Arte Frediano Farsetti, Federica Schiavo Gallery, Galleria Fumagalli, Gagosian, Galleria dello Scudo, Giacometti Old Master Paintings, Gian Marco Casini Gallery, Kaufmann Repetto, Laveronica Arte Contemporanea, Galleria Lia Rumma, Lunetta11, Gió Marconi, Massimodecarlo, Mazzoleni, London-Torino, Francesca Minini, Galleria Massimo Minini, ML Fine Art, Maurizio Nobile Fine Art, Galleria Franco Noero, Osart Gallery, P420, Walter Padovani, Giorgio Persano, Pinksummer, Prometeo Gallery Ida Pisani, Richard Saltoun Gallery, Secci, Simóndi, SpazioA, Studio Sales di Norberto Ruggeri, Studio Gariboldi, Studio Trisorio, T293, Tim Van Laere Gallery, Caterina Tognon Arte Contemporanea, Tornabuoni Arte, Tucci Russo Studio per l’Arte Contemporanea, Victoria Miro Venice, Galleria Carlo Virgilio & C., Vistamare, Zero…
PANORAMA MONFERRATO
4-8.09.2024
A project by Italics
Curate by Carlo Falciani
General Coordination: ArtsFor_
Curatorial Coordination: Veronica Botta
Production Coordination: Sonia Belfiore
Production Team: Rocco Belosi, Federico Castoldi, Maud Greppi, Ilaria Mercurio, Rebecca Morando
Art direction and Graphic Design: Giga Design Studio
Editorial Coordination: Stefania Scarpini, Victoria Weston
VIP Relations: Cristina Raviolo
Press Office: Lara Facco P&C
Social Media: Roberto Bianchi
Photography: Louis De Belle, Cosmo Laera, Giorgio Salimeni
Video: Palma Production
In collaboration with the Municipalities of: Camagna Monferrato, Castagnole Monferrato, Montemagno Monferrato, Vignale Monferrato
With the support of: Regione Piemonte
With the territorial coordination of:
Alexala – Agenzia Turistica Locale della provincia di Alessandria, Ente Turismo Langhe Monferrato Roero
Main Partner: Belmond
Under the Patronage of: UNESCO, Ministero della cultura, Regione Piemonte
Sponsor: Intesa Sanpaolo
Media Partner: Il Giornale dell’Arte
Public Program in collaboration with: AAMOD Archivio audiovisivo del movimento operaio e democratico, ANCR Archivio Nazionale Cinematografico della Resistenza, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Film Commission Torino Piemonte, Fondazione Accorsi – Ometto, Fondazione Cesare Pavese, Fondazione Merz, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Gallerie d’Italia [Torino], GAM – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Torino, MAO – Museo d’Arte Orientale, OGR Torino
Venue Sponsor: Poste Italiane
Technical Sponsors: Forma Edizioni, New Alarm, Nuova Benese Sponsor tecnici eventi: Orsolina28, Gin Fish
With the special participation of: FAI Piemonte e Valle D’Aosta – Delegazioni di Alessandria, Asti, Casale Monferrato, Vercelli, Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore Vittorio Alfieri di Asti, Associazione L’Altra Asti, MAC – Monferrato Arte e Cultura, UTEA Università delle Tre Età di Asti ed Enoteche Regionali del Piemonte
For information: info@italics.art
Panorama Monferrato
Downloads
Download the Booklet with the five-day program of Panorama.
Discover all the artworks in the Exhibition Guide.
Check out the Agenda for Panorama Monferrato.
Explore Panorama Off, places of culture and landscape, exhibitions and events beyond Panorama Monferrato
A project by
Main Partner
Under the patronage of
With the territorial coordination of
Sponsor
Media Partner
Public Program in collaboration with
Venue Sponsor
Technical Sponsors
Events Technical Sponsors
With the special participation of
Follow us
Stay updated on Panorama Monferrato with the ITALICS newsletter
Follow on Instagram @italics.art and the hashtag #PanoramaMonferrato