Foto Teresa Bontà

The exhibition of the finalists of the 18th and 19th editions of the Arte Laguna Prize will take place from November 17 to December 8, 2024. Established in 2006, the award aims to promote emerging art and artists from around the world.

In the spaces of the Arsenale Nord in Venice, 240 artists and an equal number of works will offer a snapshot of contemporary international art. This year, the exhibition - curated by Giulia Colletti and Chiara Canali - will be even more interdisciplinary and transgenerational.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, the Veneto Region, the Metropolitan City of Venice, the City of Venice, the Ca' Foscari University of Venice, and the European Institute of Design.

With entries from over 80 countries - the finalists were selected from more than 20,000 works - the international prize confirms its role as a catalyst, shining a spotlight on the best emerging artists, from whom the Italian and international art systems draw for future exhibitions.

The ten expressive categories that have always been the heart of the Prize remain central but are now more interconnected: painting, sculpture and installation, photographic art, video art and short films, performance, digital art, digital graphics and cartoons, land art, urban and street art, and art design are no longer seen as distinct and separate but increasingly transversal, naturally merging into one another. This cross-media approach guided the curatorial choices: not to overly formalize the categorization of artistic practices but to navigate the various sections to arrive at a cohesive and comprehensive final selection. This approach respects the peculiarities of each category but aims to offer visitors the most interdisciplinary vision possible, transcending the boundaries of formats. Thus, paintings become three-dimensional, sculptures become installations, videos become video installations, and digital art presents itself in its interactive and immersive dimension.... read the rest of the article»

Among this year's innovations is the choice to make the exhibition transgenerational: the selection not only includes emerging artists in terms of age but also in terms of practice, favoring new languages and unprecedented styles.