OVNi Video Art Festival Launches 8th Edition with 'Folies' Theme Across Nice Venues

The OVNi festival, an annual event dedicated to video art, has commenced its eighth edition in Nice, France. Running from November 18 through December 4, 2022, the festival presents over one hundred video works by both established and emerging artists. The opening took place at 'Le 109' with a vernissage starting at 6:30 PM, featuring diverse installations and projections. This year's edition is titled '2022 OVNi Folies!' under the honorary patronage of Laura Tenoudji. Artistic director Nathalie Amae and Odile Redolfi conceived the theme to evoke a spirit of reconnection, energy, and creative exuberance following two years of austerity. The festival utilizes multiple unconventional venues across the city, including transformed former slaughterhouses, a former chapel, a bookstore, an artist's apartment, and several hotels. From December 3-4, five hotels will open their doors to host video art. Specific hotel venues include the Windsor, hosting the 'Cosmopolis' project with foreign cultural institutes under Ficep; the West End, presenting the Prix Sud Emergence; and La Malmaison, where guest curators Isabelle de Maison Rouge and Annie Aguettaz will develop the 'Folie' concept. The festival also features a focus on Ukraine, addressing socio-political turmoil and war, with honored guest artist Oksana Chepelyk. Her work will be shown at Le 109 and the Musée Matisse. Additional Ukrainian participation includes the Cultural Center of the Embassy of Ukraine, the Hotel Victoria dedicated to five Ukrainian artists, and partnerships with the Musée Chagall and the Forum of Urbanism and Architecture. A new digital initiative, OVNi Online, an interactive platform created by Lili Jeanne Benente, allows visitors to explore previous festival editions. The festival aims to offer an alternative perspective on video art within intimate and hospitable settings.