Traditionally, artists seek to display their work in art galleries.  However,  entering the often exclusive gallery circle is extremely difficult.

Not being members of such exclusive clubs can prove to be a substantial, almost insurmountable, obstacle.  After all, if nobody even knows about their work, then the chances of artists gaining valuable exposure, achieving recognition, and making sales, become virtually non-existent.

Banksy Does It

How about then, considering alternative galleries?  Just what, you may well be asking, do you mean by alternative galleries?  Well, for one thing, such galleries surround us.  They are everywhere.  Indeed, their potential for displaying art is almost limitless, as a certain Banksy knows very well.

However, for those artists who are not keen on spending their nights painting walls alla Banksy, there are plenty of other locations which can display art.  Indeed, such locations need to display art, because art is an essential environmental component, not only complimenting, but forming key elements that can make or break the desired visual effect.

Kathleen Warner - Creating Alternative Galleries

California based art dealer Kathleen Warner, who is interestingly, of Italian origin, knows a lot about the creation of alternative galleries.  Her company provides tailor-made solutions to a vast range of well known corporate and hospitality entities.

What Kathleen does is match artists’ works to her clients’ environments.  Clients which, up to now, have included organisations such as Toyota, Bank of America, and the Hilton, Sheraton and Holiday Inn hotel groups.

It is a win-win situation.  Kathleen’s clients obtain interesting works of art which create satisfying environments, while the artists involved, aside from earnings generated via their artistic contributions, gain a level of exposure which traditional galleries, for the most part, simply cannot rival.

Actually, gallery owners themselves are often frequent travellers, buzzing from one art fair to the next, and as travellers, they often stay in up-market hotels.

Just imagine if one such gallery owner finds interesting artwork on display in the foyer and other significant locations in the hotel in which he finds himself.  Yes, she will inquire as to who the artist behind such work is.  Then, it will probably only be a matter of time before the artist concerned is invited to display his work in a gallery.

That is not to mention the multitude of other potential clients an artist can reach as a result of having his or her works on show in boardrooms, corporate headquarters or hotel foyers.

Massive Opportunities for Artists

The range of opportunities stemming from corporate demand is huge, and of great benefit to contemporary artists - especially in Italy where it is so difficult for outstanding artists, such as Gianpietro Carlesso, and many others, to achieve the recognition they merit.

As a matter of fact, from 2009, Kathleen Warner will be in Italy to work her craft here and around Europe.  Italyisin hopes to be collaborating with her, and will be supplying details of the Italian contemporary artists she thinks may be able to contribute to her clients’ projects.

In the 30 years or so that Kathleen has been in business, she has set up a valid form of alternative gallery network, something which Italian contemporary artists have much to gain from.

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Discover more about Kathleen Warner’s origins and ethos in the article Faletto Directions which she has kindly provided to Italyisin.

Interesting Italian contemporary art photographer Carmelo Nicosia’s works are on show in Milan, Italy, at the moment.

Should you wish to have a taste of what you can expect to see, you should visit the Fotografia Italiana site here.

The dates, location, and times of the Carmelo Nicosia exhibition are below:

When the exhibition is on:

• Today until Saturday 19 July 2008.

Opening Hours:

• From Tuesday to Friday, 3 pm to 7 pm.

The Venue:

• Fotografia Italiana arte contemporanea, Corso Venezia, 22 - 20121 Milan, Italy - Telephone: +39 02 784100

Admission:

• Free.

"Painting with light" is a term which has been used to describe photography, and certainly, the work of some photographers is art. As with other mediums, photography requires observation and interpretation to achieve images which provoke thought and discussion. Such images can become possessions as prized as the work of noted painters or sculptors, just think of Ansel Adams .

Italy has no shortage of photographers exploring this medium to create contemporary art. Indeed, there is an association dedicated to the promotion of the work of Italian photographers. This Milan based association, the simply named Fotografia Italiana - Italian Photography, was founded quite recently by art collector, Nicoletta Rusconi.

The aims of Fotografia Italiana are clear - its prime objective is to encourage Italian photographers to undertake artistic research.

For those interested in photography as a contemporary art medium, the Fotografia Italiana website is well worth visiting, and there is an extensive section in English.

Not to be missed is the ‘Artists’ section which contains a long list of photographic artists, some of whom, such as Alessandro Vicario , have their own websites where examples of their works may be explored.

In addition to profiling photographic artists , Fotografia Italiana also has a mine of information on current and forthcoming exhibitions.

You may start your voyage into the world of contemporary Italian photographic art here: Fotografia Italiana

Pistoia born Italian sculptor, to whom I spoke today, Luigi Galligani, produces art based on, in the words of the artist himself, ‘Mediterranean myths’. You may agree that his work could be said to be refreshingly original and modern interpretations of figures having their origins in Roman and Greek antiquity.

Working mainly in terracotta and bronze, Galligani’s work is both intriguing and thought provoking. Indeed, his mythically inspired themes have understandably attracted the attention of various galleries around the world.

Born in 1957, Galligani trained at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence and Carrara. He currently works from his studio which is located in Castellina in Chianti, near Siena.

This artist’s work has also achieved critical acclaim, and he has been hailed as:

"…one of the latest generation of “masters” of Italian sculpture" - Francesco Gurrieri Art Diary Critic, 2003

Here is a selection of Galligani’s pieces:

[Show as slideshow]

Should you wish to see more examples of Galligani’s work, then they can be viewed in various locations both around Europe and in North America. The list below provides the locations and dates of exhibitions displaying this artist’s work:

• Rarity Gallery Mykonos Greece (April - October 2008)
• Interart Sculpture Garden Heeswijk - Dinther Holland (May - October 2008)
• Sculpture Exhibition Chateau Neercanne (Gallery bell’Arte ) Maastricht - Holland (May - September 2008)
• Personal Exhibition Gallery bell’arte Maastricht - Holland (November 2008)
• "The Odissey Within" Agora Gallery, New York (December 2008)

More details, and examples of Galligani’s work and information about the artist himself, including contact details, can be found on his personal website: Luigi Galligani

With thanks to Mr Galligani, firstly for having taken the time to speak to me, and for having very kindly given his permission, orally, for Italy is in to display some examples of his work.

Simone Racheli is Florence born Italian artist who trained primarily as a sculptor at Florence’s Fine Arts Academy.

Having adopted the theme of ‘hyper-realism’, Racheli’s recent works feature ‘fleshless’ sculptures. His subjects, though, are not objects which normally have flesh. Indeed, he portrays a more mundane but quite diverse rage of objects, such as washbasins and motorbikes.

The fruits of his recent endeavours are eye catching, if somewhat disturbing, pieces.

Examples of this artist’s unique creations are on display at the Galleria Enrico Astuni in Pietrasanta.

Italy is in has not yet acquired permission to display Rachelli’s works, but examples can be seen here .

One of Racheli’s most startling pieces is what must be one of the most original interpretations of a motorbike ever seen. It is recommended that viewers use the ‘view image’ function, usually found by right clicking on a mouse, because the photo initially visible is somewhat distorted.

Actually, Italy is in’s Alex Roe, who was covering the MiArt 2008 Contemporary and Modern Art Exhibition in Milan for another on-line publication, first spotted Racheli’s work at this event. He found it enthralling.

The distinctive originality of this artist means that his work begs to be followed, and who knows in which direction his creativity will take him.

Racheli now lives and works in Parma, Italy.

At the Musée Arts et Histoire, on the Cote D’Azure, in France, examples of the work of Gaetano Fiore will be on display from 21 July until 2 August 2008.

With their seemingly bright bold colours, Fiore’s works combine geometric designs with the gentle curves and forms of the principle elements of trees. From branches and twigs, to trunks and entire woodlands. Yet, despite the use, at times, of a variety of powerful colours by the artist, the resulting images are both striking, and, at the same time, encourage the viewer to hesitate and contemplate each element of the work. Indeed, it is almost as if the artist is provoking reflection on the part of the viewer.

On show will be a selection generously sized images which have been inspired by sections from Paolo Puppa’s play “L’albero di Giuda” - ‘Judah’s tree’. Puppa (profile in Italian) is a professor of theatre history at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

The Musée Arts et Histoire , can be found at 103 rue Carnot , Bormes Les Mimosas, on the Cote D’Azure, France. If you happen to find yourself in the area at the time, then this exhibition of Fiore’s work presents a great opportunity to view and get to know this artist’ at first hand.

Visit Gaetano Fiore’s personal website , which is available in German and Italian, to see more of his work.

Gaetano Fiore’s distinctive minimalist style which involves combining abstract and natural forms facilitates the creation of images which are striking in both their simplicity and their employment of a mix of geometric and fluid shapes. His images are also characterised by the use of what at first glance appear to be striking combinations of dominant colours.

In actual fact, however, although the colour and shades of colour he uses are indeed bold, the colour combinations always manage to compliment each other, resulting in visually appetising imagery.

Fiore’s talents were first recognised in 1986 by the Neapolitan art critic Luigi Eboli. Soon after Fiore held his first exhibition at the Galleria Salammbo in Paris.

Thanks to his wife, U. Rieger, Fiore’s work has been exhibited in Germany, where Fiore has also come into contact with various German artists and galleries.

Since 1997, Fiore has come under the tutorship of noted Italian contemporary artist Salvatore Emblema , whose work has had a great influence on Fiore’s style.

Interestingly enough, Fiore has also works as a scenographer for a number of theatres around Italy. Indeed, he has worked with the Globe in Rome, and the Nuovo Theatre in Salerno. Additionally, Fiore’s scenographic work also caught the eye of noted Italian actor, theatre director, writer and musician, Tato Russo - who is the artistic director of the Bellini Theatre in Naples.

Another curiosity is that Fiore is considered something of an expert on Afro-American music. Actually, one also wonders whether Fiore’s imagery has been influenced by traditional African art.

His interest in Afro-American music has brought him into contact with Carlos Ward and Bill Dixon , with whom he often shares and exchanges both musical and pictorial musings.

When not painting, Fiore can be found at the Zenale and Butinone Institute in Bergamo, Italy, where he works as teacher of graphic advertising design.

Gaetano Fiore was born in 1960 near Naples, Italy, and still studies at Naples’ Fine Art Academy .

Fiore has two children, and lives in Bergamo.

Gaetano Fiore has a personal website, in Italian and German, where more of his work can be viewed:

Gaetano Fiore

Some more examples of Fiore’s work is visible below.

Just click on a picture to see a larger version.

[Show as slideshow]

For those who are not aware, artprice is one of the largest art databases on the Internet.

Indeed, artprice has two databases:

• a database of artists, and
• an auction catalogue database (290,000 catalogues), can be searched.

All that is needed to search the databases is the artist’s name and surname, which, of course you will be able to find on Italy is in .

Registration with artprice only becomes necessary if you find something you wish to look at in more detail. Registration is free, although those more seriously into collecting or investing in art, may wish to take out one of artprice’s subscription plans .

artprice is very useful for discovering how well established an artist is, in that the service can provide information about individuals, their work, and for how much examples of their work are selling.

Should an artist listed on Italy is in not be found lurking within artprice’s huge databases, then this is not necessarily a bad sign. Indeed, quite the opposite, in that Italy is in is living up to its raison d’etre, which is to help people discover artists and their work.

If you happen to be someone who has searched for an artist featured on Italy is in within artprice because the works of an artist on this site have piqued your curiosity, then congratulations! You too have come across an artist who is not yet well known at an international level, and the fact that you searched means that you considered that this artist could be within artprice’s databases, and if the artist is not, then your search indicates that most probably the artist concerned deserves to be.

Another advantage of not finding an artist within artprice is that his or her work may be purchased for commissioned for a more reasonable price.

However, should this site help artists find their way into artprice, then this will be good for the artist, who will be then be encouraged to produce more, and thus increase their contribution to the art world in general.

Popularity arising from this site may also help sway the opinions of art critics, both outside and within Italy. Again, this can be beneficial to the artist concerned.

If enough people like and acquire the works of a particular artist, then the standing of the artist will increase.

This is what Italy is in ’s aim is - to encourage people to discover artists, spread the word, and develop interest, and in doing so, encourage artistic endeavour.

If you help us to achieve this aim, then thank you!

Artist Angelo Mazzoleni is an interesting and original painter and his original and striking work has already a interest.

Although primarily self-taught, he has attended courses at the Carrara Academy in Bergamo, and commenced his artistic work when only young under the guidence of under the guide of some masters.

Born in Florence on in 1952, Angelo Mazzoleni, who now lives and works in Bergamo, Italy, has been painting for more than 27 years.

More information about this artist can be found on and his work, which are available for purchase, can be viewed on his section of Artmajeur

Italy is in will be inviting Angelo Mazzoleni to display a selection of his work.

Engraver and printmaker Maria Pina Bentivenga is a Rome based artist who trained in the Painting Department of the Rome Academy of Fine Arts.

Her work is visible on her personal website: Maria Pina Bentivenga

Maria Pina Bentivenga is also a member of the Incisori Veneti Association, which she joined in 2003.

She teaches Graphical Special Techniques at Rome University of Fine Arts.

Her work has already received critical acclaim.

Fragmenta
by Guglielmo Gigliotti
“ When Maria Pina Bentivenga paints or etches, she does not do it to simply reproduce images that she has seen but to develop, step by step, her long and meticulous studies on the nature of marks and line. These are the elements that she uses as the basis for her work and with them is able to create images that can stand on their own. „

Italyisin hopes that Maria Pina Bentivenga will agree to allow Italyisin to display some examples of Maria Pina Bentivenga’s work shortly.