14-17 November

Torino Esposizioni

Director: Roberto Casiraghi

Visitors: 40,000

Galleries: 181 from 19 Countries

For ARTissima 9, galleries were selected from countries that had never participated before, including Iceland, Israel, Mexico, Czech Republic, Russia and Finland.

The new development for 2002 was the creation of a new invitational section of the fair, titled “New Entries”: a special area for young galleries founded less than five years previously, which had never taken part in ARTissima but had demonstrated their ability to conduct valid artistic experimentation. The section included 15 galleries from 10 countries.

“Artissima is an uncompromising contemporary art fair: small, concentrated, highly specialised, with carefully selected galleries. The discomfort and dismay caused by similar fairs (including the famous one in Basel) give way to enjoyment, in this case: because with respect to the avalanche of offerings, works, projects and artists, it is the contemporary spirit that acts as the trait d’union” (Alfred Sigolo, “Artissima 2000 a mente fredda”, in exibart.com, 26 November 2002)

Roberto Casiraghi: “[…] the fact that many foreign galleries return year after year to our fair is confirmation of its efficacy. We think that in the present art system the role of the connection between artists and the audience played by gallerists is of fundamental importance”. (Rocco Moliterni, “Artissima mette i cerotti al David”, La Stampa, 14 November 2002, p. 28)