After the German venue (Kiel, Stadtgalerie, March 11 – May 22, 2022), the IX Premio VAF Foundation arrives in Ferrara. From March 5 to June 4, 2023, the rooms on the noble floor of the Estense Castle will host this prestigious event, established by the eponymous German foundation to support contemporary Italian art and promote cultural exchange between Italy and Germany.

Exhibition of Nine Contemporary Scene Protagonists: Luca Azzurro, Renata and Cristina Cosi, Silvia Inselvini, KEM Collective, L’orMa, Enrico Minguzzi, Sebastiano Raimondo, Dario Tironi, Valeria Vaccaro.

The winner of this edition is L’orMA (Lorenzo Mariani) for the reinterpretation of sculpture materials with ironic lightness; Valeria Vaccaro was awarded the second prize for her ability to metamorphose plastic materials; Enrico Minguzzi received the third recognition for his research on the pictorial and sign texture of composition. A special mention was given to the KEM collective for their promising research in the field of new media art.

In addition to the creations of the nine artists, some works by Paolo Baratella (Bologna, 1935) are exhibited, to whom a lifetime achievement award was given.

For Ferrara, the exhibition represents an extraordinary opportunity to project itself to the center of current artistic dynamics through the works of talented Italian artists. The reflection proposed by the organization of the event seeks to observe contemporary themes with extreme attention, focusing not only on the more traditional genres of painting and sculpture but also on photography and new media such as installations and video art.

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual Italian-English catalog published by Manfredi Edizioni.

Speech by the President of the VAF Foundation on the occasion of the inauguration of the IX Prize 2021/2023 at the Estense Castle in Ferrara

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the VAF Foundation and on behalf of all those responsible, I would like to welcome you to the inauguration of the IX VAF Foundation Prize; here at the Estense Castle in Ferrara, in this splendid location with its extraordinary context.

This is the third time I have participated in the inauguration of the exhibition and the award ceremony. The first time was at the MART in Rovereto, but on that occasion, I participated as a guest and son of the Founder of the eponymous Foundation, Dr. Volker W. Feierabend. While, for the second and third time, as President and Member of the Board of Directors of the VAF Foundation and, as I am sure you will remember, as an attentive audience, still as the son of the Founder.

The first time seemed like a simpler task to me, as the Prize at the time was organized and inaugurated by the revered and unfortunately prematurely deceased, Dr. Klaus Wolbert. Now I have taken his place and I confess that in light of all his qualities and skills, being his successor is practically impossible.

One of the purposes of this role is the organization of the Prize. Against all odds, in 2022, the event took place in Kiel, with a one-year delay. We had to face several issues, such as delivery and scheduling difficulties caused by the pandemic, which were laboriously overcome for the Kiel event.

Today, for the 2023 edition, we are here in Ferrara, the Italian venue of the Prize, and fortunately, this did not happen on this occasion, thanks to the valuable organizational support of the Ferrara Arte Foundation Team and the Modern and Contemporary Art Galleries of the Municipality of Ferrara.

In this regard, it should be noted at this point that the next Prize is just around the corner and its preparations are already underway. For this reason, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the opening of its registrations to young artists up to 40 years old. So, if you wish to admire young artists next year, please invite them to consult our website and submit their application. The application deadline is set for May 21, 2023.

We hope to welcome many talented and creative artists so that the X Prize will once again be a highly valuable event.

But now back to us: what would the Prize be without its valid participants?

And it is for this reason that I would like to take this opportunity to thank our artists for participating with their exceptional works and artistic achievements, because without them, none of us could be here.

As with every Prize, it was not easy for the Jury to choose the three best exponents among the 9 finalists, as all are excellent, having been selected from almost 100 participants. But this was not enough, as the most difficult task for the jurors was to confront each other, even vigorously, to assign the first, second, and third place to the three finalists.

So, as you walk through this exhibition, be curious and enthusiastic to discover if you will agree. And if you come to a different evaluation, know that you are still right, as fortunately tastes are personal and therefore never identical for each of us.

I would also like to draw your attention to a novelty of this IX Edition. In this edition of the Prize, we have created another recognition: the “Lifetime Achievement Award,” which this year will be awarded to Paolo Baratella, born in Bologna in 1935 and passed away on March 3, 2023.

In this exhibition, the artist is present with some of his works, allowing for a direct comparison with the young artists.

We therefore extend our welcome to him.

I wish everyone to admire and appreciate the exceptional works and creations of the artists participating in the IX Prize in these splendid and fascinating rooms of the Estense Castle in Ferrara.

Thorsten A. Feierabend – President of the VAF Foundation