The Arteam Cultural Association of Albissola Marina has recently unveiled the names of the 60 finalist artists for the Arteam Cup 2024. These artists’ works will be showcased from November 23, 2024, to January 5, 2025, at the Palazzo del Commissario within the Fortezza del Priamàr in Savona. This event is organized by the association with the support of the City of Savona, which aspires to become Italy’s Capital of Culture 2027. The ninth edition of the competition, curated by Livia Savorelli and Matteo Galbiati, will open to the public on November 23 at 4:00 PM in the Sala della Sibilla.
Nicoletta Negro, Savona’s Cultural Councillor, emphasized the importance of maintaining a vibrant connection between the city and contemporary art, noting that hosting this exhibition is an opportunity to highlight emerging talents. Savona is “proud to support initiatives that serve as a significant national showcase.”
Diego Santamaria, president of Arteam, highlighted the association’s ongoing commitment to promoting Young Art by offering free entry for Under 30s in the selection process. This support aims to provide “visibility and promotion,” essential elements for launching a professional career.
Curators Savorelli and Galbiati explained that, building on the success of previous editions, they aim to create an event that encourages dialogue among the finalists’ works, offering visitors an engaging experience with contemporary art.
Among the Over 30 finalists are artists like Federica Aiello Pini, Gisella Chaudry, and Vincenzo Frattini, while the Under 30 category highlights names such as Paolo Caldarella, Ilaria Feoli, and Sofia Villa.
The selection of the 60 finalists for the Arteam Cup 2024 was conducted by a panel of experts consisting of six members: Alice Barontini, journalist and independent curator; Matteo Galbiati, art critic and lecturer; Giulia Giaume, journalist and editor-in-chief of Artribune; Davide Landoni, journalist and editor-in-chief of ArtsLife; Erica Rigato, independent curator; and Livia Savorelli, Editorial Director of Espoarte.
Before the Christmas holidays, the three nominated artists will be announced, among whom the ultimate winner will be chosen and proclaimed on January 5, 2025, in the Sala della Sibilla. The top finalists will receive significant awards, including a solo exhibition at the Palazzo del Commissario or other selected venues, curatorship and critical text, and a monograph published by Vanillaedizioni. The artist will also have the opportunity to develop an editorial project in synergy with their 2024 events.
The awards also include an annual creative/educational path and consultancy services for 2025, with a focus on image and brand management. Additional prizes may include artist residencies, art/business projects, and participation in group exhibitions, with the full list of prizes to be available on the website by the end of 2024.
The overall winner will receive the Premio Espoarte, which includes a dedicated cover in the Espoarte magazine and 50 copies available. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog published by Vanillaedizioni. The Palazzo del Commissario, located in Savona, will be open to the public on designated days, except during the year-end holidays, with free entry. For more details, you can contact the provided number or email info@arteam.eu.
The 60 finalists of the Arteam Cup 2024
The 60 finalists of the competition are divided into two main categories. In the over 30 section, we have artists such as Federica Aiello Pini, Marco Andrighetto, Rossella Barbante, and Gisella Chaudry. Other notable names include Edoardo Cialfi, Lara Monica Costa and Marco Toffanello, and Daniele D’Acquisto. The list continues with Simone Del Pizzol, Massimo Ferrando, Vincenzo Frattini, and Armida Gandini. We cannot forget Alessandro Giampaoli, Federica Gonnelli, Valentina Grilli, and Carla Iacono. Among others, there are Cristina Iotti, Mihailo Karanovic, LaBai, Massimo Levati, and Margherita Levo Rosenberg. The section also includes Edoardo Loi, Angelo Marinelli, Claudia Marini, and Angelo Demitri Morandini. Additionally, there are Daniela Daz Moretti, Anastasia Moro, Fabiola Porchi, and Simone Racheli. Other names are Marilena Ramadori, Filippo Riniolo, Debora Romei, and Anna Rosati. Finally, we find Arthan Shalsi, Luciano Sozio, Mona Lisa Tina, Francesca Torchia, Samantha Torrisi, Ivano Troisi, Giuseppe Vassallo, Silvia Vendramel, Alice Voglino, Elisa Zadi, and Maya Zignone.
For the under 30 category, the talents include Paolo Caldarella, Luca Carlevarino, Benedetta Cocco, and Ilaria Feoli. Other finalists are Agnese Fornito, Anzhelika Lebedeva, Federica Mariani, and Giorgia Mascitti. The list continues with Carlotta Mazzariol, Nikko Mundacruz, Alice Muratore, and Abdel Karim Ougri. Finally, the names of Enea Salvatori, Marco Scarcella, Claudia Vetrano, Sofia Villa, and Nuss Aleksandr Vladimirovich complete this category.
L’Arteam Cup and the Priamàr Fortress
The Arteam Cup stands as a prominent event in the Italian art scene, organized by the Associazione Culturale Arteam. Since its inaugural edition in 2015 at the Officina delle Zattere in Venice, it has been hosted in prestigious locations such as Palazzo del Monferrato in Alessandria in 2016, the industrial spaces of BonelliLAB in Canneto sull’Oglio in 2017, and the Fondazione Zoli in Forlì in 2018. In 2019, the finalists’ exhibition took place at Villa Nobel in Sanremo. The 2020/2021 edition, held during the challenging pandemic years, returned to the Fondazione Dino Zoli, while the 2022 and 2023 editions were held at the Palazzo del Commissario in Savona.
The core goals of the Arteam Cup remain steadfast: to offer finalist artists significant visibility and the opportunity to engage with diverse exhibition venues, to facilitate entry into the art gallery circuit with dedicated prizes, and to promote educational experiences such as artist residencies and curatorial projects. The event aims to foster interaction and exchange among artists and establish an active dialogue with the business world. Its grand ambition is to create a network, forging meaningful connections among various players in the art system.
The Fortezza del Priamàr, constructed by the Republic of Genoa between 1542 and 1543 on a design by G. M. Olgiati, served the dual purpose of defending the territory from attacks by the House of Savoy and controlling the city of Savona. In 1528, Savona was definitively subdued, with its port being filled in. To accommodate the sturdy bastions, significant buildings such as the Cathedral, the bishop’s palace, and other religious and hospital structures were demolished. Additional transformations of the military complex were carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries. The fortress also became a place of detention, housing Giuseppe Mazzini in 1830-31, where he conceived the idea of Giovine Italia. Giuseppe Mazzini: “Fummo condotti a Savona in Fortezza”