Torino Art Week: Carol Rama and Flashback Shine, Toulouse-Lautrec Disappoints

The 2016 Torino Art Week featured highs and lows across its many events. Carol Rama's exhibition at GAM was a standout, providing robust foundations for her controversial career with a display of doubts, experiments, and affirmations. Flashback, the fair focused on ancient and modern art, confirmed its international status with quality exhibitors and impeccable organization. Eugenio Tibaldi's site-specific installation "Seconda chance" at Museo Ettore Fico offered a poetic homage to the Barriera di Milano district. However, Wael Shawky's dual-venue show at Castello di Rivoli and Fondazione Merz disappointed with cold installations and overfamiliar videos. Toulouse-Lautrec at Palazzo Chiablese was criticized as a mere collection of lithographs and posters, not a true retrospective. The Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo's three exhibitions felt fragmented and failed to impress. Peripheral parties at Venaria Reale and Caselle airport were deemed inaccessible by public transport. Operae and DAMA fairs suffered from mismatched offerings in historic palaces. The Others and Nesxt events showed potential but need better selection and organization, though they successfully revitalized the Regio Parco and Barriera di Milano areas. Club to Club festival and Dama opened with a party at Venaria Reale, while Artissima hosted a party at Caselle airport around Thomas Bayrle's lightboxes.