Emergent is set aside for 20 young avant-garde galleries, founded after 2007, under the guidance of Andrew Bonacina, curator of the International Project Space, Birmingham.

Three questions to  Andrew Bonacina. 

ATP: Which are the distinctive elements that characterize miart 2013?

Andrew Bonacina: The fact that the fair and each of its sections is led by curators is really unique and is what drew me to working on MiArt in the first place. It means that we’ve been able to experiment with different formats and also in how we bring artists and galleries together in dialogue. The fair also reflects the intersections of art and design that happens quite uniquely in Milan, so as well as showcasing both modern and contemporary galleries, there is also a section dedicated to the relationship between design objects and sculpture. The distinctions between cultural institutions such as the museum, gallery, biennale or art fair, are constantly being challenged by the way in which artists are working today, often with complete disregard for definitions or boundaries, and we’ve aimed to reflect that fluidity and synchronicity in MiArt 2013.

ATP:  Which section have you curated and what it is about?

AB: I have curated the ‘emergent’ section of the fair which is focused on younger and more experimental galleries and art spaces. More than half of the galleries in this section will present solo projects, offering the opportunity to engage with an artist’s work in greater depth, while other galleries have conceived curated presentations of up to three artists, drawing out more thematic threads between artists’ works. I was really keen to be able to work with a range of galleries in terms of where they are at in their development; so alongside more established galleries like Supportico Lopez from Berlin, Freymond-Guth Fine Arts from Zurich and Arcade from London, there are also galleries for whom MiArt will be their very first fair such as VI VII from Oslo and Southard Reid from London. Placing the contemporary in the context of the historical is a key feature of MiArt and the Emergent section really looks at the right now within this temporal continuum.

ATP:  Which is, in your opinion, the unmissable appointment inside miart 2013 agenda?

AB: The Emergent section, of course! But I’ll also be spending a lot of time in the auditorium for the impressive talks programme and I’m very much looking forward to seeing some of the dialogues that happen in the ThenNow section, for example between Ian Wallace and Sharon Lockhart or between Enzo Mari and Tim Rollins and KOS. It’s a section that really exemplifies the opportunities for conversation and interdisciplinary offered by this new edition of MiArt.

Emergent

Christian Andersen, Copenhagen 
Arcade, London 
Thomas Brambilla, Bergamo
Carlos/Ishikawa, London 
Circus, Berlin 
Clarence Mews, London 
Club Midnight, Berlin 
Essex Street, New York 
Fluxia, Milano 
Freymond-Guth Fine Arts, Zürich  
Frutta, Roma
Kendall Koppe, Glasgow
Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin 
Laurel Gitlen, New York 
Laveronica, Modica
Mathew, Berlin 
Southard Reid, London 
Supportico Lopez, Berlin 
Federico Vavassori, Milano
VI, VII, Oslo

Anna Barham, Argent Minotaur Slept, 2012, HD video, silent, 8′ 08″, courtesy of Arcade, London

Petra Cortright, Coral Island2012_ber_swan_addingirls_HAHACS5[1] (screenshot), .swf file, dimensions variable, Ed. 1/1 + 1 AP, Couresy Club Midnight, Berlin, Photo Credits Nick Ash

John Henry Newton, 25/02/12, Denim jacket with embroidered patches, printed t-shirt with bespoke label, coat hanger Unique Dimensions variable 2012 Courtesy of Frutta Gallery