Cecilia Alemani (born 1977) is an Italian curator based in New York City. She is the Donald R. Mullen Jr. Director & Chief Curator of
High Line Art and the artistic director of the
59th Venice Biennale in 2022.[1][2] She previously curated the
2017 Biennale's Italian pavilion[3] and served as artistic director of the inaugural edition of the 2018
Art Basel Cities in Buenos Aires, held in 2018.[4]
Early life and education
Born in Italy, Alemani received her BA in philosophy from the
University of Milan and her MA in Curatorial Studies from
Bard College.[5]
Career
From 2012 to 2017, Alemani curated Frieze Projects, the nonprofit platform of the
Frieze Art Fair, which has presented new productions by emerging artists and reconstructions of historical exhibitions. From 2009 to 2010, she was Curatorial Director of the year-long X Initiative, New York, an experimental nonprofit for which she oversaw numerous exhibitions and events.[6] Alemani is a co-founder of No Soul For Sale, a festival of independent spaces, nonprofit organizations, and artists’ collectives.[7] As an independent curator, she organized many exhibitions in museums, nonprofit spaces, and galleries, including Gió Marconi Gallery, Milan;[8][9]Blum & Poe, Los Angeles;[10]MoMA PS1, New York;[11] and the
Whitney Museum, New York.[12]
In 2017, Alemani curated the
Italian Pavilion at the
Venice Biennale, 57th International Art Exhibition.[13] Titled Il Mondo Magico (The Magical World), the exhibition featured new large-scale, site-specific commissions by Giorgio Andreotta Calò, Roberto Cuoghi, and
Adelita Husni-Bey.[14]
In 2018, Alemani was artistic director of the first edition of
Art Basel Cities, a new initiative in partnership with Buenos Aires to celebrate the city's thriving cultural ecosystem.[15] Alemani curated a city-wide exhibition titled Hopscotch (Rayuela) that featured 18 works in close dialogue with their venues, shaping a multilayered experience that connected visual art, urban spaces, and the city's histories in unexpected ways.[16] Among the participating artists were Eduardo Basualdo,
Pia Camil,
Maurizio Cattelan, Gabriel Chaile, and Luciana Lamothe.[17]
For
Art Basel 2019, Alemani commissioned Alexandra Pirici to stage a new iteration of Aggregate for the city's Messeplatz.[18] The immersive work is a performative environment featuring more than 60 performers who move around the visitors, enacting gestures and sounds that reference disparate forms of cultural heritage, creating something like a time capsule.
Since 2011, Alemani has overseen the High Line Art Program, developing an expertise in commissioning and producing ambitious artworks for public and unusual spaces. During her tenure at the
High Line, she has commissioned major projects by
El Anatsui,[20]Carol Bove,[21]Rashid Johnson,[22]Barbara Kruger,[23]Faith Ringgold,[24]Ed Ruscha,[25] and
Adrián Villar Rojas,[26] among other artists.[27] She has also organized group exhibitions featuring works by young and emerging artists, including
Firelei Báez,[28]Jon Rafman,[29] Max Hooper Schneider,[30] and Andra Ursuta.[31] Recently, Alemani spearheaded the High Line Plinth, a new program featuring monumental artworks that commenced in June 2019 with Brick House, a sculpture by artist Simone Leigh.[32][33] Through these public initiatives, Alemani has sought meaningful civic engagement by galvanizing dialogue, awareness, and a sense of possibility.
Venice Biennale, 2022
In response to her appointment as the Curator and artistic director of the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, Alemani commented that “as the first Italian woman to hold this position, I understand and appreciate the responsibility and also the opportunity offered to me,” adding, “I intend to give voice to artists to create unique projects that reflect their visions and our society."[34]
Alemani has written extensively for various publications, including Artforum.com[37] and Mousse Magazine,[38][39][40] and has a weekly column in D, Repubblica as of October 2019.[41] She has authored, co-authored, edited or contributed entries to a number of books.
Selected Books and Contributions
Alemani, Cecilia, ed. Il mondo magico: Padiglione Italia, Biennale Arte 2017. Venice: Marsilio, 2017.
ISBN9788831727204
Alemani, Cecilia, ed. High Art: Public Art on the High Line. New York: NY, Skira Rizzoli, 2015.
ISBN0847845192
Alemani, Cecilia. “The Solar Anus.” In Jakub Ziółkowski: 2000 words. Athens, DESTE Foundation, 2014.
ISBN6185039052
Alemani, Cecilia, ed. The X Initiative Yearbook. Milan: Mousse Publishing, 2010.
ISBN9788896501290
Alemani, Cecilia, Maurizio Cattelan, and Massimiliano Gioni. Charley Independents. Athens: Deste Foundation, 2010.
ISBN9781935202318
Alemani, Cecilia and Massimiliano Gioni, ed. I’m Not There. Gwangju: Gwangju Biennale Foundation, 2010.
ISBN9788987719115
Alemani, Cecilia, Andrea Bellini, and Lillian Davies, ed. Collecting Contemporary Art. Zürich: JRP Ringier, 2008.
ISBN3037640154
Alemani, Cecilia. Arte Contemporanea7: Ambiente. Milan: Mondadori Electa, 2008.
Alemani, Cecilia. William Kentridge. Milan: Mondadori Electa, 2006.
ISBN8837043635
References
^"Leadership". The High Line. Retrieved April 12, 2020.