14 October 2017 gcd13

Thirteenth Giornata del Contemporaneo

On Saturday 14 October 2017, the Thirteenth Giornata del Contemporaneo took place across the whole of Italy — the major annual event promoted by the Association of Italian Contemporary Art Museums and dedicated to the art of our time and its public.

Sabato 14 ottobre 2017 si è svolta in tutta Italia la Tredicesima Giornata del Contemporaneo, il grande evento annuale promosso dall’Associazione dei Musei d’Arte Contemporanea Italiani e dedicato all’arte del nostro tempo e al suo pubblico.

Now in its thirteenth edition, this year too the Giornata del Contemporaneo opened the doors of the AMACI museums and more than 900 organisations across Italy free of charge, presenting artists and new ideas through exhibitions, workshops, events and conferences. A multifaceted programme that, year after year, has succeeded in offering the wider public a chance to experience the complex and lively world of contemporary art up close, establishing the event organised by AMACI as the annual occasion that officially opens Italy’s art season.

Since 2005, the Giornata del Contemporaneo has earned particular attention from the wider public and from industry professionals for the important role it has played in promoting contemporary culture. The growth in the number of participants (from 207 in 2005 to 1,022 in 2016) and in attendance (from 97,000 visitors in the early editions to around 230,000 in recent ones) at the Giornate del Contemporaneo in recent years has clearly shown the ever-growing attention that contemporary art organisations pay to AMACI and its initiatives. Over thirteen years, the Giornata del Contemporaneo has helped to build a map of today’s art that has involved not only the major cities but also smaller centres, which have always been very active, where museums have taken on the role of cultural hubs with the mission of presenting and promoting the work of contemporary artists, highlighting the important role that the contemporary plays in the cultural, social and economic development of our country.

As in previous editions, AMACI entrusted the creation of the Giornata del Contemporaneo’s guiding image to an internationally renowned Italian artist. Following Michelangelo Pistoletto (2006), Maurizio Cattelan (2007), Paola Pivi (2008), Luigi Ontani (2009), Stefano Arienti (2010), Giulio Paolini (2011), Francesco Vezzoli (2012), Marzia Migliora (2013), Adrian Paci (2014), Alfredo Pirri (2015) and Emilio Isgrò (2016), for this thirteenth edition the directors of the 24 member museums called on Liliana Moro to create the guiding image.

Pane quotidiano (Daily Bread) is the title of the image created for the Thirteenth Giornata del Contemporaneo by Liliana Moro: a simple piece of writing, made with typographic stamps on a white background, that draws our attention to the everyday staple food. Just two words that make up an essential message: a reference to biblical tradition and Christian prayer, but which, in a secular sense, points to the idea of food — for the body, but above all for the spirit — with which to nourish our existence. Drawing on the parallel between bread and culture, the image speaks of nourishment in its purest sense, becoming an element of life, survival and growth for both the individual and society as a whole.

In testimony to the event’s ever-growing significance and its important role within the national system, the Head of State, Sergio Mattarella, this year awarded the Giornata del Contemporaneo the Medal of the President of the Republic.

Furthermore, AMACI is pleased to announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – Directorate-General for the Promotion of the Country System, aimed at the internationalisation of the Giornata del Contemporaneo and at fostering synergies towards the shared goal of promoting the Italian contemporary art system abroad.

To mark the Thirteenth Giornata del Contemporaneo, the Palazzo della Farnesina opened to the public on an exceptional basis, offering guided tours of its rooms and of the Ministry’s contemporary art collection. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs encouraged and coordinated participation in the Giornata del Contemporaneo among those Italian Cultural Institutes abroad which, by taking part, in turn organised, within their own areas of responsibility, specific activities promoting contemporary Italian art and culture.

Event promoted by
AMACI – Association of Italian Contemporary Art Museums

With the support of
Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism – Directorate-General for Contemporary Art and Architecture and Urban Suburbs

With the contribution of
Lombardy Region

Medal of the President of the Republic

Under the patronage of
Representation in Italy of the European Commission
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Senate of the Republic
Chamber of Deputies
Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces
UPI – Union of Italian Provinces
ANCI – National Association of Italian Municipalities
ICOM Italia

Supporting Partner
Arena Broker