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Get to know the artists of XIII Florence Biennale Fortezza da Basso 23-31 October 2021 •Wolfgang Hock• Born in Bamberg, he studied fine arts in Germany, where he also taught art at the gymnasium. He developed his own style, exploring the possibilities of digital hand-painting and received the Certificate of Excellence at the Major International Art Competition of “Art Horizons” in New York. He held numerous exhibitions in South and North America as well as in Europe. He also participated in the XII Florence Biennale 2019 and won the Lorenzo il Magnifico Award - Special Commendation by the President for New Media Art. • • • •

We are glad to announce the participation of Argentinean director Teresa Mular as Guest of Honour at the XIII Florence Biennale (23-31 October 2021, Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy), where she will present the Italian première of her documentary “Can’t Stop the Sun from Shining”. • More info in our website. • •

We are glad to announce the theme of the XIII Florence Biennale (23-31 October 2021): ETERNAL FEMININE ETERNAL CHANGE Concepts of Femininity in Contemporary Art and Design Link in bio.

Intervista al direttore di Florence Biennale Jacopo Celona in vista di un importante progetto che si inserisce nell'ambito delle celebrazioni per il 50° anniversario delle relazioni diplomatiche tra Italia e Cina. Il progetto, che sarà annunciato a breve, coinvolgerà giovani artisti e studenti italiani e cinesi in occasione della XIII edizione della Florence Biennale, che si terrà dal 23 al 31 Ottobre 2021 presso la Fortezza da Basso. . . . . @celonajacopo

We are proud to announce that Rossano B. Maniscalchi, Guest of Honour at the XII Florence Biennale 2019, won the Best Cinematography Award at LaJolla Fashion Film Festival 2020 for his movie "Anyway". Congratulations to Rossano B. Maniscalchi and his team! . . . .

XIIth Florence Biennale 2019 - "Leonardo da Vinci" Lifetime Achievement Award (In Memoriam) to the spouses Salvatore and Wanda Ferragamo, respectively founder and director of the famous group synonymous with the highest quality in the field of "Made in Italy" fashion. Passionate about shoes, Salvatore Ferragamo (Bonito, Avellino, 1898) established himself in the 1920s as a "shoemaker of the stars" in Hollywood, as defined by the press of the time. Salvatore anticipates the times, revolutionizing fashion: he opens women's shoes, hitherto laced and closed and makes them more elegant and more comfortable. The success is such that he cannot cope with the orders. However, the American workforce is unable to make the shoes he wants and in 1927 Ferragamo decides to return to Italy, to open a laboratory in Florence, a city traditionally rich in skilled craftsmen. The following years consolidate its success and many celebrities come to Florence to have custom-made shoes made. After the war, Ferragamo's shoes became iconic, through inventions such as the reinforced metal stiletto heels, made famous by Marilyn Monroe, the gold sandals, and the invisible sandal with a nylon thread upper. After Salvatore's disappearance in 1960, the international fame of the brand does not undergo any decline, rather it inaugurates a new season, thanks to the guidance of his wife Wanda (Bonito 1921 - Fiesole 2018) and their sons and daughters who carry on the founder's legacy. • • • • 🇮🇹

On the occasion of the XIIth edition, Florence Biennale bestowed The Lorenzo il Magnifico Lifetime Achievement Award for New Media & Installation Art to Refik Anadol “in praise of his extraordinarily innovative work resulting from an experimental and creative process, through which he engages viewers in a play on perception that triggers aesthetics rethinking and dissolve the boundaries which constrain our imagination. All this by reinterpreting Leonardo da Vinci’s legacy in new ways, through art, science, and breakthrough technology”. On display at the XII Florence Biennale 2019, his work titled “Melting Memories”, an immersive installation which, by giving the illusion of shifting forms on a picture plane with algorithmically generated compositions, makes the viewer reflect on ageing, cognitive decay, and mortality while enquiring the nature of the creative process in human beings. • • • •

Shan Shan Sheng is an internationally renowned artist based in Shanghai (China) and San Francisco (USA). Her style is a unique bridge between ancient and contemporary worlds. She has completed over 50 large-scale permanent public art projects at locations around the world and received two Best Public Art Awards: in 2007 by Americans for the Arts for "Ocean Wave" at the port of Miami and, in 2009, from the Ministry of Culture for Taiwan (China) for her "Bamboo Forest" at the high speed train station in Hsinchu, Taiwan. After exhibiting "Open Wall" at the 53rd Venice Biennale, in the framework of the exhibition organized by the International Association of Art with the Italian National Commission of UNESCO, Sheng participated in the XII Florence Biennale with the new project, "Universal Elements" . Composed of five elemental colors, Sheng's interactive multimedia installation creates a vivid, continuously changing atmosphere, with cascades of colour evoking water, nature, growth, and the sky. "Universal Elements” shows how Sheng’s embrace of vitality and organic forms derived from her studies of abstract painting and sculpture alongside harmony and rhythm inherent in Chinese calligraphy, culture and dance. • • • •

“Slightly modified looking glasses” a selection of multimedia projects curated by Veronica Citi, exhibited at the XII Florence Biennale 2019, in collaboration with Libera Accademia di Belle Arti (LABA), Florence. Multimedia visual artworks exploring themes such as identity and frailty of the self as related to the world. Authors: Michele Arrabito, Jacopo Bellomo, Daniele Cecchi, Marta Guidotti, Luca Maxia, Manuele Micheloni, Silvia Montevecchi, Martina Salvo, Leonardo Taddei, and Ana Maria Ursu. . “Specchi leggermente modificati”, selezione di progetti multimediali a cura di Veronica Citi, in mostra alla XII Florence Biennale 2019, in collaborazione con la Libera Accademia di Belle Arti (LABA) di Firenze. Opere visuali, multimediali dove si indaga sui temi dell’identità e della fragilità dell’essere in relazione al mondo. Autori: Michele Arrabito, Jacopo Bellomo, Daniele Cecchi, Marta Guidotti, Luca Maxia, Manuele Micheloni, Silvia Montevecchi, Martina Salvo, Leonardo Taddei e Ana Maria Ursu. . . . . .

XII Florence Biennale 2019: "Portraits from the denied childhood", a project created by street artist Ache 77, in collaboration with Street Levels Gallery, starting from the photos by Pino Bertelli: portraits of children who have seen war, hunger and fear. An indictment against the indifference and barbarism of all wars, but also an invitation to peace. • XII Florence Biennale 2019: “Ritratti dall’infanzia negata”, il progetto realizzato dallo street artist Ache 77, in collaborazione con Street Levels Gallery, a partire dalle foto di Pino Bertelli: ritratti di bambini che hanno visto la guerra, la fame e la paura. Un atto di accusa contro l’indifferenza e la barbarie di tutte le guerre, ma anche un invito alla pace. • • • •

"Big Heart" (Acrylic on canvas, 190 x 190 cm, 2019) by Nigerian artist Chidi Kwubiri, who participated in the XII Florence Biennale 2019. His works - highly aestheticised with his well known multi-layered dripping technique - radiate a deep inner calm, subtly addressing themes of his cultural background as well as globally relevant topics. His works at the XII Florence Biennale thematise individual and social issues of global migration and xenophobia. "As an artist my dream is to touch people with my art, to use my art to create works which are able to transport a message that might make the beholder to think about life and his own position in human togetherness". • • • •

On the occasion of the World Environment Day, we are glad to share a memory of the 11th edition of the Florence Biennale, held in 2017 with the theme "eARTh - Creativity & Sustainability", during which we awarded the "Lorenzo il Magnifico" Lifetime Achievement Award to Ghanaian artist El Anatsui, famous for his artworks made with recycled materials. • In occasione della Giornata Mondiale dell’Ambiente, siamo lieti di condividere un ricordo dell’XI edizione della Florence Biennale, tenutasi nel 2017 con il tema “eARTh – Creativity & Sustainability”, durante la quale abbiamo conferito il Premio “Lorenzo il Magnifico” alla Carriera all’artista ghanese El Anatsui, famoso per le sue opere d'arte realizzate con materiali riciclati. • • • •