Chiara Fumai to Represent Italy at Venice Biennale 2019

Milovan Farronato has selected the late Chiara Fumai (1978–2017) to represent Italy at the 2019 Venice Biennale. Fumai, known for her radical performances and feminist critique, died suddenly in 2017. Farronato, who had a close personal and professional relationship with the artist, aims to honor her legacy. The artist's archive—including documents, books, records, costumes, and props—has been acquired by the CRRI of Castello di Rivoli under Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev's direction. On December 8, 2018, Christov-Bakargiev and Farronato will give a lecture on Fumai at Castello di Rivoli, part of a series on violence against women alongside Nalini Malani's exhibition. A retrospective of Fumai's work is planned at the Centre d'Art Contemporain (CAC) in Geneva, directed by Andrea Bellini, who emphasized the collaborative nature of the project. The Church of Chiara Fumai, founded in May 2018 by the artist's mother Liliana Chiari, Farronato, artist Rossella Biscotti, and collector Michele Spinelli, manages her estate. Its scientific committee includes Marco Pasi, Mark Kremer, and Christov-Bakargiev. Fumai's community—spanning Bari, Ghent, Prato, New York, and Valencia—is mobilizing for future projects. Key supporters include gallerists Guido Costa, Apalazzo Gallery, and Galería Rosa Santos, as well as curators and scholars such as Stefano Collicelli, Andrea Lissoni, Raimundas Malašauskas, Nicola Setari, and Giovanna Zapperi.