curated by Willy Darko and Olga Gambari

Thursday, 18^th December 2008 opens VIDEODIALOGUES 2008,  a video art and artists’ video festival, curated by Willy Darko and Olga Gambari, offering an overview of video in contemporary art and moments of discussion, thanks to a vast an heterogeneous program. The various sections explore the many opportunities, which, through a multifaceted and complex language, show us examples of the classic  ‘video art’ , according to the theoretical experiences of the first Seventies, to video installations, video clips, video documentary and video dance, including also some recent experiences in the creative use of video. Each section of the festival contributes to underline the versatile aspects of a technique, which after more than forty year, is still one of the most favorite and malleable expressions of the art in progress.

Vito ACCONCI (Bronx, NY, USA, 1940)  started his career as a poet in the last yeart of the Sixties and dedicated himself to body art, documenting his performances and the use of his own body, with photography and video. Ursula FERRARA (Pisa, 1961) artistically active since 1984, is one of the most genial and inventive Italian animation movie authors (an not only that). Her films were presented and awarded in the most important international festivals  (from Annecy to Cannes). Her narrations unite the atmospheres of the birth age of cinema with contemporary techniques, using graphite, painting, collage. Gea CASOLARO (Rome 1965) uses photography and video to create conceptual representations about humankind. She often works with installations. Her works are surgery analysis conducted with a poetic touch, where human beings are captured in their own condition with lucidity.

The afternoon section presents the filming of two LOOPS. The first offers a screening about a selection of national and international artists Jessica Ballerini, Sabrina Bastai, Irina Gabiani, Mauro Ciani, Eleonora Chiesa, Armida Gandini, Lucia Leuci, Concetta Modica, Thorsten Kirchhoff, Christian Niccoli,Yael Plat, Guido Salvini, Enore Maria Zaffiri, Maya Zignone. The second presents a choice of artists from Slovenia, curated by Natasa Kovsca and Vanja Mervic: Bovcon-Vavpotič, Klemen Gorup, Bostjan Kavčič, Damijan Kracina, Katarina Toman-Kracina, Gorazd Krnc, Dominik Mahnič, Vanja Mervič, Hana Repse, Domen Rupnik, Saska Sonja Sagadin, Tilen Zbona.

(picture caption) Irina Gabiani, still from video 'The slaves of the system' (2006)