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P.S.1 Newspaper

2007 Summer

Venice Biennial Special: Perna Foundation

Foundation Director Giovanna Palumbo Perna.

The Perna Foundation and P.S.1 co-orga­nized the Art Radio Venice Live efforts for the 52nd Annual Art Exhibition of the 2007 Venice Biennial. The Perna Foundation staff has coordinated a series of cultural programs and special events that will be broadcast during the Biennial preview week of 4-10 June and will be available in the Art Radio WPS1.org archives. Here are some details on their history and pro­grams.

The Perna Foundation mission focuses on contemporary Mediterranean art and cul­ture, acting as an observatory, encouraging artistic research and investigation into this geographical area that is rich in secular his­tory and culture. The Foundation’s aim is to deliver an authoritative commentary on the geographical, anthropological, and intellectual impact of the area in relation to contemporary art.

Created in 2006 by Giovanna Palumbo Perna—active in the fashion and luxury in­dustries and for more than 25 years and an inspired collector and generous patron—the Perna Foundation is assisted by a commit­tee consisting of Alanna Heiss (Executive Director, P.S.1), Vicente Todolì (Director, Tate Modern), Marc Mayer (Director, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montréal) and Paolo Colombo (Curator of the Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo, Rome), and is coordinated by Manuela Annibali, Curator of the Foundation.

On the occasion of the 52nd Venice Biennial, the Perna Foundation will play a pivotal role in the organization of WPS1.org. During the preview, the Perna Foundation will present a series of debates on the airwaves. The discussions will involve historians, econ­omists, anthropologists, musicologists, writ­ers, and directors such as Fulya Erdemci, Domenico De Masi, Massimiliano Fuksas, Christos Carràs, Catherine David, Stefano Boeri, Achille Bonito Oliva, Cristos Savvidis, Denys Zacharopoulos, and Roman Vlad.

There will be many essential subjects explored during these talks: Does the art of the Mediterranean have a future? What fea­tures characterize contemporary art around the Mediterranean basin? What effects on today’s cultural panorama will result from the ever-more frequent habit of artists moving from one Mediterranean country to another? And finally, Tonino and Giovanna Perna will talk about the relationship between art and fashion.

Although young, the Perna Foundation has ambitious objectives including scientific studies illuminating the Mediterranean; social support and distribution of Medi­terranean culture in Italy and abroad; and production of annual exhibitions the Foundation’s showrooms in New York, Paris, London, Düsseldorf, and Hong Kong.

Giovanna Palumbo Perna, the Foundation Director, is a determined promoter of this initiative and has long-standing passion for art. She has been responsible for creating the pres­tigious art collection of the Perna fam­ily which includes works dating from the Middle Ages to the contemporary period. These include, among many others, work by Sandro Chia, Fran­cesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Giorgio De Chirico, George Grosz, Allen Jones, Leoncillo, Eliseo Mattiacci, Nam June Paik, Mimmo Paladino, Mario Sironi, Giulio Turcato, and Emilio Vedova.