The 53rd International Art Exhibition’s (Venice, from 7th June to 22nd November 2009) Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to Yoko Ono and John Baldessari – two of the most important artists of our time.

As decided by the Board of the Venice Biennale, chaired by Paolo Baratta, on the proposal of the Director, Daniel Birnbaum, the award will be officially presented to the two artists on 6th June 2009 during the opening of the 53rd International Art Exhibition titled Making Worlds.

“The Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement are honouring two artists whose ground-breaking activities have opened new poetic, conceptual and social possibilities for artists around the globe working in all media,” commented Director Daniel Birnbaum also stressing that “Yoko Ono and John Baldessari have shaped our understanding of art and its relationship to the world in which we live. Their work has revolutionized the language of art and will remain a source of inspiration for generations to come.”

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The 53rd International Art Exhibition, entitled Making Worlds, directed by Daniel Birnbaum, organized by La Biennale di Venezia chaired by Paolo Baratta, will open to the public from Sunday June, 7th to Sunday November, 22nd 2009 in the Giardini (50,000 sq.m.) and the Arsenale (38,000 sq.m.) as well as in various other locations around the city. The press preview will take place on June 4th, 5th, and 6th 2009.

The Director of the 53rd Exhibition, Daniel Birnbaum, has been Rector of the Staedelschule Frankfurt/Main and its Kunsthalle Portikus since 2001. Fare Mondi // Making Worlds, presented in the renewed Palazzo delle Esposizioni in the Giardini and in the Arsenale, is a single, large exhibition that articulates different themes woven into one whole. It is not divided into sections. Considering collectives, it comprises works by over 90 artists from all over the world and includes many new works and on-site commissions in all disciplines.

“The title of the exhibition, Fare Mondi // Making Worlds – says Director Daniel Birnbaum – expresses my wish to emphasize the process of creation. A work of art represents a vision of the world and if taken seriously it can be seen as a way of making a world. The strength of the vision is not dependent on the kind or complexity of the tools brought into play. Hence all forms of artistic expression are present: installation art, video and film, sculpture, performance, painting and drawing, and a live parade. Taking 'worldmaking' as a starting point, also allows the exhibition to highlight the fundamental importance of certain key artists for the creativity of successive generations, just as much as exploring new spaces for art to unfold outside the institutional context and beyond the expectations of the art market. Fare Mondi // Making Worlds is an exhibition driven by the aspiration to explore worlds around us as well as worlds ahead. It is about possible new beginnings—this is what I would like to share with the visitors of the Biennale.”

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TEFAF Maastricht 2009 is taking place (13-22 March 2009) in the most serious global economic crisis that has been seen for decades. Following the success of the Yves St. Laurent sale in Paris, all eyes turned to Maastricht to see how TEFAF would fare in these turbulent times. The result was what everybody hoped for but few dared to believe that the appetite for the best remains solid. Among the important sales were those of a Degas pastel, a life-size sculpture by Duane Hanson and a pair of Chinese ‘soldier’ vases.

TEFAF is regarded as the most important art and antiques Fair in the world. It attracts private and institutional collectors in all fields from around the globe. Curators from many major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Musée du Louvre, The British Museum, The Prado and The Hermitage visited TEFAF. It is a serious Fair for serious buyers. Dealers knowing the high regard in which TEFAF is held rose to the occasion by bringing their very best things – recent discoveries, things that have not been on the market for several decades, the rare, the unusual and the important.

Antiques & Works of Art is the largest section of the Fair, covering all areas of the decorative arts. Asian Art has traditionally been very strong at the Fair and sales backed this up. Jorge Welsh Porcelain & Works of Art, Lisbon, reported meeting many new clients and sales included a pair of Chinese famille rose soldier vases, circa 1750, to a Chinese client, while fellow Portuguese dealer Luis Alegria Ida from Porto sold a wide variety of objects including a rare blue and white pear shaped ewer from the Jialong period (1522-1566). Amsterdam dealers, Blitz Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art sold a rare bronze buffalo, Western Zhu, 9th century BC to a French collector.

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The jury has awarded the 2009 Joan Miró Prize to the Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist for her wide-ranging creative activity and her outstanding contribution to the current artistic scene.

The Joan Miró Prize, organised by the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona and sponsored by the Fundació Caixa Girona, consists of €70,000, one of the largest art prizes in existence, and is awarded every two years. The first Joan Miró Prize was won in 2007 by Olafur Eliasson.

This year’s award ceremony will take place in the Auditorium at the Joan Miró Foundation on 4 May and will be attended by members of the jury and the winner. During the evening, the trophy – a titanium object specially designed by André Ricard and inspired by natural forms – will be presented to the winner.

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Once again we talk with the artists of meseon community. Today, we know more about Cristina Troufa and her artwork. Enjoy it!!

Cristina Troufa:
"Art is anything that leaves us in a contemplative way. Anything that leads us to reflect on various subjects by another prism. It is innovation without falling into excesses (where the only objective is to shocking without  no other purpose). It's beautiful (even if that beauty is so subjective), is creativity."

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