ARTISSIMA © Filippo Alfero –  Torino, 2016

Among the most popular initiatives for the public at Artissima, the Walkie Talkies, coordinated by Abaseh Mirvali, return with a series of informal conversations that freely cross the spaces of the fair.
Pairs of exceptional guides lead visitors on explorations through the gallery booths, to discover particular installations, artists or formal languages. Walkie Talkies are short dialogues, intermissions, between pairs of curators and collectors: an opportunity to learn about and question the best of Artissima. These dialogues depart from Lauretana stand in the fair furnished by Vitra.
Walkie Talkies by Lauretana

Interview with with Abaseh Mirvali
By Mattia Solari

ATP: What are the Walkie Talkies we will see this year during Artissima? Do they share a common thread?

Abaseh Mirvali: Walkie Talkies is an experimental form of walking dialogues. Each Walkie Talkie will be led by two people, most of them a curator/writer and a collector, during the duration of the Fair. When selecting the participants I searched for a diversity of thought, discipline and perspective; as a result, we have a vibrant group of people, many from the Americas, as well from Europe, who will offer their personal and exciting reading of the works of art being exhibited by the participating galleries.

ATP: What are the core issues this year? What are the highlights we have to expect?

AM: Each of the 13 Walkie Talkies are unique due to the fact that they are so dependent on the personalities. Each couple or trio will provide each conversation with a completely different temperament, content, and approach. The highlight is that there is a very diverse group of curators, collectors, and writers who not only come from the realm of contemporary art but also from architecture, theatre, and design. This will lead to a selection of more eclectic, dynamic, not to mention substantial, and varied selection of contemporary artworks from the Fair.

ATP: There are many fairs in the world, so, in your opinion, what makes Artissima different from all the other?

AM: Artissima has a long tradition of putting a tremendous emphasis on involving curators, writers, and other intellectuals in its programming. To me, this gesture is decisive in the construction of the fair’s profile, which is not only very respectful to us professionals but adds a deeper layer to the fair.

ATP: Art market and art trends, how much do they influence the choice of the participants?

AM: In my case, none whatsoever. I based my selection on the personality of each of the participants, who are interesting, intelligent, and engaging people.

Artissima 2016 – Walkie Talkies – Mirvali e Nicoletta Fiorucci

WALKIE TALKIES Schedule —

FRIDAY 3 NOVEMBER

—  2.30pm Barbara Casavecchia (independent curator and critic) & Mirko Rizzi (artistic director of Mersèlleria, Milano, New York)
—   3.30pm Barry & Debra Campbell (collectors) & Pedro Gadanho (director of MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology / EDP Foundation, Lisbon)
—  4.30pm Rose Lejeune (curator and researcher) & Kristin Rey (collector)
—  5pm Giulia Tosetti (Tossetti Value) & Francesco Zanot (curator CAMERA – Centro Italiano per la fotografia)
—  5.30pm Manfred and Eva Frey (collectors) & Eva Wittocx (art critic and curator)

SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER

—  2.30pm Charles Asprey (publisher and collector) & Sam Thorne (director of Nottingham Contemporary)
—  3.30pm Adam Budak (chief curator National Gallery, Prague) & Tracy O’Brien (curator Proyectos LA, Los Angeles)
—  4.30pm Myriam Ben Salah (curator, writer and editor in chief Kaleidoscope Magazine) & Paola Clerico (art producer and collector)
—  5.30pm Yvonne and David Fleck (collectors) & Abaseh Mirvali (independent art and architecture curator, project producer)
—  6.30pm Antonio Dalle Nogare (collector) & Andrea Viliani (director of Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee / MADRE, Napoli)

SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER

—  2.30pm Pierre Bal Blanc (independent curator) & Andrea Fustinoni (collector) TBC
—  3.30pm Lorenzo Fusi (curator and artistic director of PIAC Principality of Monaco and guest academic curator at Illingworth Kerr Gallery) & Ruben Levi (collector)
—  4.30pm Frederik Frede y Dalad Kambhu (collector) & Kate Sutton (writer)
—   5.30pm Eliza Osborne (executive director Centre Pompidou Foundation, New York and Los Angeles) & Aram Moshayedi (writer and curator of the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles)