Ortigia Contemporanea
first international festival of contemporary art in Sicily

From 17 to 30 June 2024 the city of Syracuse will host ORTIGIA CONTEMPORANEA , the first international festival of contemporary art in Sicily, conceived and produced by the SVET AGENCY.
The Festival, sponsored by the Municipality of Syracuse and the Sicilian
Region, was created from the desire to promote contemporary art in
Sicily. The main sponsors of this first edition are: Allianz agency Tiné
Siracusa, Banco Bpm and Cantine Fausta Mansio . The initiative also
has the support of Ortea Palace Hotel as technical sponsor and Loft 44 as sponsor.
The project is specifically designed for the island of Ortigia, the historical
centre of the city of Syracuse, one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean,
rich in monuments, archaeological sites, baroque architecture and a tourist
destination for visitors from all over the world. The main event of the Festival
is the group exhibition 'Story yet to be told', curated by Domenico de
Chirico in collaboration with Eleonora Angiolini.

The selection will feature twenty-one national and international artists: AES+F, Joël Andrianomearisoa, Giuditta Branconi, Martina Cassatella, Mateusz Choróbski, Gianni Di Rosa, Marcin Dudek, Simone Forti, Abul Hisham, Alek O., Giulia Messina, Giuseppe Mulas, Nika Neelova, Karim Noureldin, Aurora Passero, GianMarco Porru,
Patrizia Mussa, Przemek Pyszczek, Virginia Russolo, Nanni Valentini and Driant Zeneli.
The artistic offering, deliberately heterogeneous, ranges from painting
to video from installation to performance and from photography to
sculpture. Hosting all the works being exhibited will be some of the
most representative municipal architecture on the island of Ortigia: the Antico Mercato, the courtyard of Palazzo Vermexio, Palazzo Montalto and Palazzo Gargallo.
'Carefully chosen and particularly representative of each medium, all
the works of art on display will animate the four festival venues with the
intention of wanting to create a liturgically rarefied atmosphere –
wisely open and yet politely explicit - so as to amiably allow the viewer
to be face-to-face with each of them and compare, voluntarily
stripped of inessential distractions, aimed at the search for renewed
beauty, in the hope of reinvigorating the desire for life' - states curator
Domenico de Chirico.
The Festival opens with the performance 'Tribunalia' by Polish artist
Marcin Dudek, who on the occasion of Ortigia Contemporanea has
developed a new iteration of his work, which will be presented on
Monday 17 June at 18:30 in the courtyard of Palazzo Vermexio.
'Tribunalia' is a work representative of Dudek's production and his
investigation into the psychology, rituals and violence in football
stadiums.
In addition, for the Festival, the Swiss artist Karim Noureldin has created
a large-scale site-specific pictorial intervention entitled 'Eight'. The
work was designed by the artist in relation to the architectural space
of the cloisters in the Ancient Market of Syracuse, where it will be
hosted until the end of June.

'Story yet to be told' was made possible thanks to the support of: Primo
Marella Gallery, Milan, Noire Gallery, Turin, Paola Sosio Contemporary
Art, Milan, RIBOT Gallery, Milan, Galleria Raffaella Cortese, Milan,
L.U.P.O. - Lorenzelli Projects, Milan, ABC ARTE: Contemporary Art Gallery,
Genoa/Milan in collaboration with Archivio Nanni Valentini, Harlan
Levey
Projects, Brussels, Martina Simeti, Milan, Galerie Mirchandani +
Steinruecke, Mumbai, Galleria Giorgio Persano, Torino and Rolando
Anselmi, Rome.
A full schedule of events will enrich these two weeks,
coordinated by the SVET AGENCY, involving local protagonists
of contemporary art.
Four appointments with galleries on the island of Ortigia: the Gallery
Leucò , with Giuseppe La Spada, will inaugurate 'A mermaid fair'; art
gallery Materiarte, with Andrea Chisesi, 'The myth in love'; Momo Art
Studio with
the bipersonal exhibition of Mema Trapani and Glenda Costa 'Terrario';
and Galleria Labò , with Giuseppe Piccione and Giacomo Lo Verso,
with the exhibition 'No Sense'.
In addition, a programme of free public talks hosted by MADE -
Academy of Fine Arts Rosario Gagliardi in Syracuse - in whose spaces
the guests will discuss topics related to the world of contemporary art.
Programmed for the first talk (18 June, 17:30.) is the Lecture by Driant
Zeneli:
THE ANIMALS. ONCE UPONATIME...IN THE PRESENT TIME, introduced by
the curator Domenico de Chirico. The following day (19 June, 18.30)
a talk entitled: Contemporary Art in Sicily. Voices from the Western and
Eastern front. Speakers include the curator of ZAC Palermo Agata Polizzi
and Gianluca Collica from the Fondazione Brodbeck in Catania.
Last scheduled meeting (26 June, 18:30), entitled: Le residenze d'artista
siciliane. The experience of SARP and San Sebastiano Contemporary,
sees the involvement of Alfio Puglisi and Davide Bramante.

Two Workshops will be repeated during the Festival days.
Four the appointments with Yoga Art format devised by Marta
Massara, a certified teacher of vinyasa yoga, pranayama (breathing
techniques) and meditation that will involve participants with yoga
practices inspired by the thoughts
of the artists participating in the exhibition 'Story yet to be told'.
The events are chargeable and you can check the dates here.
The second Workshop, also comprising four dates, is a Short Course
in ceramics with master potter Giacomo Lo Presti, who for over thirty
years has continued the tradition of handmade ceramics in his
workshop in Ortigia.
The artist, through the 'thumb' technique, will involve participants
in learning about clay, an ancient yet contemporary material.
The events are chargeable and the dates are as detailed here.
The rich programme includes two free live music performances at the
Belvedere of the Arethusa Fountain, one by SISIO (21 June, 19.00)
and one by the duo The Nonno + De Marion (28 June, 19.00).
The performance by Thomas Masters and Silvia Makita curated by
Momo art studio, will be the closing event of the Festival and will be
held at the Antico Mercato on Sunday 30 June at 18.30. At the centre
of their work is the creation of
a path of words. 'A word exchanged every day'. The SVET AGENCY is
the behind-the-scenes production agency of the ORTIGIA
CONTEMPORARY Festival that stands out for its ability to plan and
organise high-profile artistic events, ensuring that every detail is taken
care of with precision and attention, thus ensuring a cultural
experience for artists and visitors. Combining a refined artistic sensibility
with effective logistical management, the SVET AGENCY has taken
care of every aspect of the Festival.