Art News

Fearing backlash, Artissima cancels Art Povera exhibition

TURIN.- The founding ethos of arte povera was turned on its head last week, when the Turin-based contemporary art fair Artissima canceled an exhibition that it had commissioned for its November 4 – 6, 2011 edition. The heavily researched show, curated and produced by the Philadelphia-based alternative space Triple Candie, posited that the arte povera movement never existed. Triple Candie learned of the cancellation when it saw that the exhibition was not listed on Artissima’s website. Artissima later confirmed the cancellation via email. In canceling the show, Francesco Manacorda, Artissima’s director, noted that it could be “potentially very offensive to artists and gallerists who participate in the fair” and “negatively impact government funding of the arts in Italy, and potentially threaten the viability of Artissima.” In May, Artissima invited Triple Candie to curate an exhibition for a non-commercial section of the fair