Chiara Bertola's 'Conservare il futuro' chronicles 25 years of site-specific art at Venice's Querini Stampalia
Chiara Bertola, curator at Fondazione Querini Stampalia from 1997 to 2022, has published 'Conservare il futuro' (Bruno, Venice, 2023), a book systematizing her experience commissioning site-specific contemporary art in the historic Venetian palace. The volume serves as a manual for navigating the complex relationship between past and present in heritage sites. Bertola's approach, influenced by Giuseppe Mazzariol and Carlo Scarpa, emphasizes working with limitations rather than generic opportunities. Over 25 years, she curated 30 projects with artists including Mona Hatoum, Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, and Kiki Smith, who created works that engaged with the building's layered history. The project ended in 2022, but Bertola advocates for a 'Italian method' that could be replicated in other historic locations, transforming them through contemporary art without spectacle.
Key facts
- Chiara Bertola curated site-specific contemporary art at Fondazione Querini Stampalia from 1997 to 2022.
- Her book 'Conservare il futuro' was published in 2023 by Bruno, Venice.
- The book systematizes her experience as a manual for working with historic sites.
- Bertola's approach was influenced by Giuseppe Mazzariol and Carlo Scarpa.
- She curated 30 projects over 25 years.
- Artists include Mona Hatoum, Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, and Kiki Smith.
- The project ended in 2022.
- Bertola advocates for an 'Italian method' of working with contemporary art in historic contexts.
Entities
Artists
- Chiara Bertola
- Mona Hatoum
- Ilya Kabakov
- Emilia Kabakov
- Kiki Smith
- Giuseppe Mazzariol
- Carlo Scarpa
- Giorgio Busetto
- Marilena Di Tursi
Institutions
- Fondazione Querini Stampalia
- Bruno
- Artribune
- Corriere del Mezzogiorno
- Corriere della Sera
- Segno arte contemporanea
Locations
- Venice
- Italy