ARTE FIERA OBSERVATORY
Fabio Farnè has always been passionate about contemporary art.
An entrepreneur in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he invited artists to create experimental projects in an electromechanical company, and in 2008 he hosted an exhibition at Roccagloriosa (province of Salerno), launching a series of projects that provide artists with space to experiment: Rocca, Residence for Artists.
From 2011 to 2013 he organised shows at the Toro Gallery, in the loggia of the former Hotel Brun, in Bologna; in Milan, he organised events at Gaff (exhibition space from 2010 to 2016 and laboratory from 2016 to 2018). As a result, he has worked with numerous contemporary artists, including Cuoghi Corsello, Flavio Favelli, and Sissi. In 2013 he founded Localedue, a space for study and experimentation, in the Manifattura delle Arti (Factory of the Arts) District of Bologna, a few steps away from MAMbo. Localedue is still active, directed by Gabriele Tosi and Filippo Tappi.
For Art City 2021, he organised the installation “Cambio della Guardia” (Changing of the Guards) by Bekhbaatar Enkhtur at the Historical Garden of Villino Giulia.
https://www.localedue.it
“TREKKING, 1992. I’ll never forget that glorious Sunday in November of 1992 and Emilio Fantin’s first trek for the people of art. The sun was almost surreal: bright and warm – almost a miracle, if you think about the cold, foggy weather you’d normally expect….”
I identify completely with this comment by Renato Barilli at the Trekking dell’arte organised by Galleria Neon and Emilio Fantin in ’92.
I knew very few people there and couldn’t even remotely imagine that I’d become friends with many of them. That was almost 30 years ago, and now here I am, watching the video.
Interviewer: How come you’re here? What do you expect?
Interviewee: (smiling) Who knows? Maybe I’ll get a tan.
Interviewer: How come nobody is thinking about art right now?
Interviewee: Because it’s just too beautiful here …
Interviewer: So you think art is something that has to relate to suffering?
Interviewee: Could be!
Interviewer: What does all this mean?
Interviewee: Getting to know each other.
Interviewer: But couldn’t we have done that in a gallery?
Interviewee: It’s different when you do things together … it feels different when you’re in a gallery …
I don’t know if the experiment to change the way people communicate in the art world, “usually crystalised in ritual gatherings of professionals and the public,” was successful or not. But I’m sure that the Localedue crew and I have worked to add a piece to the puzzle.
