Keeping Up With Milano’s Art: September 2023 Issue

Zaza’ Milan, The Project Manager Syndrome, Alessandro di Pietro

Dear B&A folks, welcome back in town! I know, September can be overwhelming in Milan, but between welcome weeks, fashion week, and whatever else is going on let’s not lose track of art, that’s precisely what Keeping up with Milano’s Art is for.

For all the new members of B&A, the new Bocconi students or whoever accidentally clicked on this link: Keeping up with Milano’s art is a monthly digestible format which offers a curated look into Milan’s contemporary - and not only - art scene, between established institutions, galleries as well as non-profit, hybrid art spaces. In the hope to help amateur art lovers or people freshly moved to Milan to orientate themselves through this art maze and figure out where cool stuff goes on.

September is a hectic and fertile month for the art scene, galleries in particular use this time-frame to inaugurate their new shows for the fall season, i.e. the new artists they are representing, aka promoting, or more cynically… putting on the market.

Since I am talking to a diversified audience, let’s review some art systems 101: the difference between an art gallery and a museum is that the latter is an institution with a public function and a focus on the fruition of art by the audience through big curatorial efforts such as permanent collections, and temporary exhibition. The former is a commercial entity which sells the artworks of the artists it represents, very succinctly.

Does that mean art galleries are not interesting for a less specialized audience? Not at all. Art galleries are quite literally the art in the making, it is the big soup from which all the art we see in museums comes from. So, even if you are a broke 21-year-old student, and not at all a rich collector, I still warmly invite you to explore the gallery scene of Milan which makes up a very significant dimension of its art ecosystem, since this city is all about contemporary… and money.

But art galleries can sometimes be intimidating, you may need to ring a bell, they can be located in what looks like private apartments and so on, yet do not be afraid to go and have a look: even if we are young and poor, we are not bothering anyone. More specifically, during this month of September I want you guys to go to the vernissages, namely the events that galleries organize for the opening of a new show. Yes, you are allowed to be there, unless specifically stated that the opening is invitation only, they are a fun gathering of whimsical people where you can get some wine for free, look at art, and like a true Milanese, network (Bocconi made me hate this word) with other artsholes from the city.

So, for this issue of KUWMA I decided not to bore you with my critique on art exhibitions I’ve already seen, rather I prepared a list of openings happening in the next weeks for you guys to be in the front line with me:

Maria Schifano, TUTTO nelle carte...
Curated by Alberto Salvadori
GIÓ MARCONI GALLERY
Opening preview:
21.9.2023, 6pm-9pm

Daniele Milvo, le faremo sapere
FEDERICO VAVASSORI GALLERY
Opening preview:
21.9.2023, 5pm-9pm

Harry Sanderson, Solid State Archive
ZAZA PROJECT SPACE
Opening preview:
22.9.2023, 6pm-9pm

Sophie Ko. Prima che la notte cada
RENATA FABBRI GALLERY
Opening preview:
27.9.2023, 6pm-9pm

Ali Kazma, A House of Ink
FRANCESCA MININI GALLERY
Opening preview:
27.9.2023, 6pm-9pm

Jasmine Gregory. Believe in ur Dreams
MARTINA SIMETI GALLERY
Opening preview:
27.9.2023, 6pm-9pm

Edi Hila. Territori di esperienze vissute
RAFFAELLA CORTESE GALLERY
Opening preview:
28.9.2023, 6pm-9pm

Florian Germann. Der Empfang II
GALERIE GREGOR STAIGER
Opening preview:
28.9.2023, 6pm-9pm

And then some openings happening not at galleries, rather at foundations:

FONDAZIONE ICA MILANO
3 new small exhibitions opening on:
29.9.2023, 5pm-8pm

Lucia Cantò, Stelle che sorreggono altre stelle
FONDAZIONE ELPIS
Opening:
05.10.2023, 5pm-8pm

James Lee Byars
PIRELLI HANGAR BICOCCA
Opening:
12.10.2023, 7pm-10pm

I think I gave you enough suggestions, I really hope to meet some of you at one of those vernissages so that we can get a free glass of wine and talk about some art. Based on the most convenient day or location be there or be square for at least for one of these!

If I were to give a personal suggestion, I would tell you not to miss the one at Gio Marconi, Zazà Project Space, Raffaella Cortese Gallery and Fondazione ICA.

See you there.