Last appointment with Artissima Questions and Answers. Today you’ll meet the Artissima Team!
In the picture: center, Ilaria Bonacossa (Director >> interview here); from the right to the left: Giuditta Zaniboni (International Exhibitors), Nicoletta Esposito (Communication and press relations), Laura Pongiluppi (Italian Exhibitors), Elisa Facchin (Digital Projects and Communications), Chiara Cordone (Partnerships and Administration), Flavia Lo Chiatto (VIP Relations and Collectors’ Programme), Marta Scelto (Coordination Officer and Assistant to the Director).
When you were a little child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Chiara: Fashion designer.
Elisa: Writer or reader.
Flavia: Public prosecutor.
Giuditta: Writer.
Laura: Explorer, I have always loved travel and research.
Marta: I wanted to work for Artissima… really!
Nicoletta: Ballerina.
What made you decide to move into art?
Chiara: An “accident”.
Elisa: A set of lucky coincidences and a passion for beauty.
Flavia: My aunt and her house full of amazing, fascinating works I had trouble understanding.
Giuditta: Curiosity about continuously evolving ideas and the infinite means of expression available with respect to the past.
Laura: Interest in unconventional forms of expression.
Marta: The chance to combine study and discover of new artists on a daily basis with the stimulus of the organisational challenges of a big event like a contemporary art fair.
Nicoletta: It was a person, more than a thing. Harula Peirolo.
Which historical artist figure would you like to share a drink with and where?
Chiara: Maurizio Cattelan played by Massimiliano Gioni.
Elisa: Frank Stella, somewhere in New York.
Flavia: Caravaggio in Rome at Caffè Perù!
Giuditta: Can I name two? Lucio Fontana, in Argentina, anywhere, and Mario Merz, in Torino, anywhere!
Laura: Picasso in his Mas at Mougins.
Marta: Franz Erhard Walther in a fabric shop in Torino.
Nicoletta: Lawrence Weiner, anywhere.
Which is your favourite moment at Artissima?
Chiara: The first time I enter the pavilion.
Elisa: Wednesday evening when everything is still to come.
Giuditta: The start of the opening (previously the work is still too intense), when I go up to the VIP Lounge and stand at the balcony to see the fair from above, perfectly installed, and the people as they begin to enjoy the spectacle of the works on display. It’s gorgeous!
Laura: Two moments, on Wednesday evening when the fair is almost ready, when everyone is busy installing the works, and the early morning before the opening of the pavilion to the professionals, just me and the works, always a thrilling encounter.
Marta: The last half hour before the opening, because a year of intense, passionate work is about to reach its concrete results, the guests are at the door and it’s “showtime”!
Nicoletta: The installation of the works.
Which song do you listen to get ready for Artissima?
Chiara: Candy by Paolo Nutini.
Elisa: Not just one song, various albums: lately Cat Power, Mogwai and lots of The Smiths.
Flavia: Classical music.
Giuditta: Music that gives me energy! Stop the rock – Apollo 440.
Laura: I search for silence, as much as possible.
Marta: In 2017 my playlist for the fair starts with Slide by Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean & Migos.
Nicoletta: Sky and Sand by Paul Kalkbrenner.
Which is your favourite place in Turin?
Chiara: Teatro Regio.
Elisa: Piazza Vittorio Veneto, in the part where Via Principe Amedeo begins. There is a bench where thoughts stand still.
Flavia: Piazza Carignano.
Giuditta: Monte dei Cappuccini; I walk there in the evening to enjoy the city from afar… but not too far!
Laura: Certain glimpses of the monuments, seen from the bank of the Po at the Valentino.
Marta: Galleria San Federico.
Nicoletta: Via Barbaroux.
