Arte Fiera 2023

Arte Fiera - Italy’s very first modern and contemporary art fair - has always embraced change, keeping abreast of developments.

The next edition of Arte Fiera (3 to 5 February 2023) is no exception. Among the many new features is the new position of Managing Director entrusted to Enea Righi, a well experienced manager and one of the most important art collector in Italy.

The major changes planned include the layout of the exhibition booths and communal areas, further services made available to gallerists and collectors, and improved catering in the fair grounds and VIP area. A general re-design of the exhibition will offer visitors an even more enjoyable, engaging experience.

Arte Fiera will be held on the traditional dates in Halls 25 and 26, the longstanding home of this event. Easily accessible on foot from the main entrance, Piazza della Costituzione, the two Benevolo pavilions – to be partly refurbished for the trade show - are considered the most elegant and recognisable of the Bologna Exhibition centre.

A big fair: more artists and new sections

Arte Fiera’s design concept has also undergone major changes.

Without jeopardizing overall excellence of exhibitors’ proposals, it will now be possible to present more artists, while the large stands will have no restrictions on the number of artists that can be displayed. The aim is to significantly expand the range of artists and works on offer in light of increased investment on the collectors.

The Main Section - as always, dedicated to historic and contemporary art - will be flanked by three curated, invitation-only sections: Photography and Moving Images, Pittura XXI, and a new area called Multiples, open to both galleries, publishers and specialised bookshops exhibiting selected editioned artworks.

New curators have joined the Arte Fiera team: Photography and Moving Images will be the charge of Giangavino Pazzola, curator of Camera - Centro italiano per la fotografia (Turin), and Multiples will be developed by Lisa Andreani and Simona Squadrito, founders of REPLICA - Archivio italiano del libro d'artista project, an Italian archive of artists’ books. Davide Ferri, critic and independent curator, has been confirmed as the curator of Pittura XXI.

Alongside these curated sections, Arte Fiera 2023 will launch a new format: Percorso (Pathway). As its title suggests, Percorso is not a section proper, rather an itinerary through various booths in the Main Section based on a common theme. The theme of this first Percorso will be a material and technique that have recently enjoyed renewed international interest: ceramics. Percorso#1 will invite visitors to discover ceramic artworks of both past and present artists.

The 2023 edition marks a new phase for Arte Fiera: looking to the future of art and collecting while consolidating tradition.