Luciano Micallef at Florence Biennale

The Florence Biennale 2013 was inaugurated on Saturday at Fortezza da Basso in Florence, where 52 countries are taking part.

Luciano Micallef is a guest artist representing Malta. He was invited by the organisers of the Biennale, Roland Bellini and Jacopo Celant. The Ambassador of Malta Vanessa Frazier, who attended the inauguration, was publicly praised by Jacopo Celona during the inaugural speech for her cultural promotion and support that she has demonstrated.

Last October, a presentation was held at Palazzo Budini Gattai in Florence to introduce the future office for the Chamber of Commerce. The committee for the Florence Biennale have been collaborating with the ASSOCAMERE, (Association of Foreign Italian Chamber of Commerce in Italy), to bring together culture and business. During this event, Luciano Micallef was publicly invited to represent Malta.

The Florence Biennale, was founded in 1997 by Pasquale and Piero Celona and created within the spaces of the Fortezza da Basso, in Florence, which is one of the few international art events structured as a self-financed independent-platform for contemporary art, where artists from all over the world gather in Florence to live a liberatingly aggregating, joyfully authentic and intensely unique experience.

As suggested by this year’s theme ‘Ethics: DNA of Art’, the mission of the Florence Biennale is to stir some reflection and critical thinking about the relationship between art and ethics, and the role of the arts in the new millennium. Moving from a notion of art as unrelated to ethics and aesthetics towards a neo-Humanistic vision, in which creativity is the driving force of any system of knowledge.

The 9th Florence Biennale is expected to maintain its leading role on the international contemporary art scene. More than ever, the Florence Biennale will be an extraordinary opportunity to meet artists from all around the world, and participate to a plural dialogue about the intertwining of arts, ethics, and aesthetics for a sustainable new millennium.

The catalogue of The New Florence Biennale, with images and information of more than 350 artists taking part, is published by Fausto Lupetti Editore.