COLLECTIVE / 11 Spaces
November 12, 11am-9pm
Numeroventi, via Pandolfini 20, Florence
If you’ve yet to make your way to creative hub/”Tuscan think tank”/art residence Numeroventi, now is the time. Numeroventi’s headquarters—a 16th century palazzo with a beguiling mix of old-world finery and Scandinavian minimalism—shut its doors for the past ten days, locking in 14 contemporary artists and designers from far-flung locations. The point? To see what emerges, present it to the public, and showcase the “Renaissance city’s” ripeness for positive change. Made up of individuals from all manner of disciplines, the group will put on a collective exhibition on Sunday, “11 Spaces,” a follow-up to March’s “10 Spaces” event, which saw more than 500 people pass through the palazzo. Numeroventi’s twice-annual group exhibitions are the space’s cornerstones, the culmination of all the creative energy flowing through year-round. Entry is free; see the official Facebook event for more information.
LIGHTS / Adrian Paci
November 11-February 11, 2018
Museo Novecento and Le Murate, Florence
Albanian artist Adrian Paci makes his Tuscan debut with Lights to Serve the Night (Di queste luci si servirà la notte), a solo exhibition exploring the concepts of migration, identity and ebbs and flows of populations. For Paci, mobility is an ontological condition of the human race. The Museo Novecento is the main hub of Lights to Serve the Night, exhibiting 15 works—three of which have never before been displayed—while clustered work at Le Murate and satellite sites in Pelago and Montelupo Fiorentino will expand the show’s reach. Paci’s central themes are highlighted through rather esoteric means: a highlight of this show will be the “skeleton” of a tentacled boat that was recently sent down the Arno, digging a groove in the river floor to reveal its depths. A video of the installation’s findings and artistic statement will be on display in the Museo Novecento’s Sala Grande. For more information, see the Museo Novecento website.
REVOLUTIONARY / Eisenstein at the Uffizi
Until January 7, 2018
Sale di Levante, Uffizi Gallery, piazzale degli Uffizi, Florence
It’s a big week for the Uffizi Gallery as the Renaissance museum par excellence hosts a cinema-centred exhibition for the first time. Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein is spotlighted in Ejzenstejn: La Rivoluzione delle Immagini, a show marking the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The moving image pioneer behind such famed works as Battleship Potemkin, Eisenstein introduced montage to the film world and, incidentally, made reference to 13th-15th century art in select films, adding further dimension to this unprecedented collision of genres at the Uffizi. The exhibition features drawings on loan from the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art and several rooms of film clips. For more information, see the Uffizi website.
FILM / Lo Schermo dell’Arte
November 15-19
La Compagnia and various venues, Florence
Contemporary art comes to the big screen at this multifaceted film festival. Active in Florence since 2008, Lo Schermo dell’Arte spotlights films old and new, promotes training projects and artist residencies and collaborates with local, regional and international institutions to bring exciting installations and performances to the city. The 10th edition opens with the inauguration of Directing the Real: Artists’ Films and Video in the 2010s, an exhibition featuring 20 video works by young, emerging artists (6pm, November 14, Galleria delle Carrozze, Palazzo Medici Riccardi). Buzzworthy guest of honor is Egyptian visual artist and musician Hassan Khan, recipient of the Silver Lion at the 2017 Venice Biennale. Khan will give a lecture on his creative process (3.45pm, November 16, Cango Cantieri Goldonetta) and will be present for screenings of two of his key works, Jewel and Muslimgauze RIP (6pm, November 16, La Compagnia). For festival details, see the website.
