Nicola Ricciardi

It will be a miart in “Crescendo”. The number of galleries present has increased (especially the international ones, which are now over 40%, and all of them prestigious), applications to participate have doubled and the prizes and acquisition funds distributed in fair. But this growth cannot be seen only inside the exhibition pavilion: like the roots of a plant that has outgrown its pot, the contents of the fair this year have also come out of their traditional container, to reach other places, such as the Triennale or the Museo del 900. The first will host a dense schedule of talks curated by miart, the second will instead host a work of art commissioned from an artist thanks to the contribution of the Henraux Foundation. However, I would like to underline that Crescendo is a gerund: ours is in fact an ongoing process, and with Fiera Milano we want to continue the upward trajectory well beyond 2023.

Stronger and louder. One of the distinctive features of Milan is the possibility of making the public dimension work well with that of private individuals, the ability to make the respective interests coexist and coexist in respect of the respective publics. In recent years Milan has taken on a key role in the European contemporary art scenario, also thanks to the direction of Vincenzo de Bellis, who between 2014 and 2017 transformed the fair from a local event to a great international success. This has brought numerous foreign collectors and just as many foreign galleries to the city (only in recent years have Gregor Staiger, Ciaccia Levi, Michel Rein, Peres Project opened here, just to name a few). It is mutual respect that has brought and still brings common benefits today.

It’s  decisive. Also in this case the benefits of the synergy with the Salone are tangible – just think of the many private and public events that are organized during the miart weekend as a preview of the design week. A collector who comes from overseas can benefit from two “weeks” in one… In addition, design is central to the history of Milan, so it will already be visible and present at miart even if it won’t have a dedicated section. I don’t like labels, I’m not interested in separating the contemporary from the modern and the latter forms of expression from design. A collector must have the right to be able to get lost, discovering other realities and other artists, other eras and other disciplines.

Our trademark has always been that of gathering within us over 100 years of art history, hosting galleries that exhibit works of the strictest contemporaneity together with those dedicated to 20th century art, not forgetting, as I said first, those active in the collectible and signature design sector. The whole miart team — from the professionals of Fiera Milano to the curators Alberto Salvadori and Attilia Fattori Franchini — work diligently to make the fair come to life as a large collective exhibition, capable of welcoming works ranging from Giacomo Balla and Lucio Fontana to Lorenza Longhi to Monica Bonvicini. Always trying to find the right balance between past and future. Hence the idea that miart’s audience is by definition very broad, and that they share a fundamental characteristic: the ability to be intrigued.

In my position, it is not easy to express an opinion on individual artists (I would like to mention them all!), but if I really have to make a choice, I will rely on three of the many solo shows that will be present at the fair. There are paintings by Bendt Eyckermans (Antwerp, 1996) exhibited by Andrew Kreps Gallery (New York); the delicate pictorial works of the Japanese Yui Yaegashi (Japan, 1985) brought by MISAKO&ROSEN (Tokyo); and the intriguing figures of Miguel Cardenas (Colombia, 1934) by Kendall Koppe (Glasgow).

I choose the beautiful, unexpected and unpredictable exhibition by Ann Veronica Janssens at Pirelli HangarBicocca. The incredible David Cronenberg of “Anatomic Waxes” at the Prada Foundation. And the ambitious Forum 900 project at the Museo del 900, in which the gallery on the ground floor houses works of contemporary art and design seating, transforming the spaces into a place for discussions, debates and presentations.

Yes. No doubts.

Our goal is to engage as broad and informed an audience as possible. On the one hand, we know how essential it is for galleries that major international collecting returns to the fair, which for two years, for obvious reasons, has limited the number of events it participates in. On the other hand, we feel the responsibility of training a new generation of collectors, often young individuals with good investment skills, but who need to be guided in a difficult sector. Finally, the general public is also important to us, those who come to the fair even if they know they can find hundreds of stimuli. The ideal fair must be able to respond to the needs of all these audiences: it won’t be easy but this is the path we have taken and that’s where we want to go.