'Art Factory' showcases 35 works in Puglia

(ANSA) - Bari, July 2 - An art exhibition titled "The Art Factory" has opened at the 18th-century Palazzo Nico in the town of Gioia del Colle, in the province of Bari, with 35 works from 35 artists across Italy.
    The exhibition, which had its inauguration on Sunday, July 1, also includes three months of events in a traveling project that starts in Puglia and will go as far as the United States and China.
    The project is a collaboration between Nartist, a startup that brings together art and business, and ItrArti (Autonomy of the Arts), and was inspired by the Art Factory at the Bari Academy of Fine Arts, which is a partner in the initiative.
    Among the 35 works on display are 27 canvases, two photo panels, four sculptures and two theatre performances by the Antonio Minelli Mudi Theatre School and the Formediterre Theatre Association.
    Joining art and business therefore means - and this is evident by visiting the show - putting small works of art on cufflinks, t-shirts, purses, and the like; admiring them in frames of varying sizes and dimensions; and in infinite ways on any design or furnishing piece, such as furniture doors and fronts, sofa arms and bodies, and upholstered beds.
    "I approved this idea because it works," said Giuseppe Sylos Labini, director of the Bari Academy of Fine Arts, and one of the 35 artists on display in the exhibition.
    "Finally, public and private are together, which is a very important aspect for artists and for the economy," he said.
    Carlo Fusca, artistic director of ItrArti, said Nartist is an association that gave life to "this first experimental event where all the forms flow together - painting, sculpture and theatre".
    "It's an innovative project for this area. We're aiming to create a great container for contemporary multimedia art, where the public can interact with the artists and truly experience the art, which becomes a significant element in territorial renewal projects," Fusca said.
    Nartist founder Francesco Nicastri said the organisation aims to create "art to experience and to share".
    It has an international patent for the project, which it will take worldwide.
    In the central hall of the exhibition space, there's an entire wall with 18 small works of art that can be used as fashion accessories.
    "We want to spread a new way of being, involving the economic and business world to support social initiatives, with investments that have economic returns for businesses as well," Nicastri said.
    "For the first time ever, now we can start thinking that business, art and culture can collaborate in support of social projects as well. This project came about specifically in order to give a patronage 4.0 organising system to businesses that want to promote their brands and personalise their products," he said.
    The show will be open until September 30 from Monday to Friday (10-13 and 17-20), by appointment on Saturdays and Sundays or for special events, such as theatre performances and artistic workshops.