ARTISSIMA 2026, OVAL TORINO
ACROBATIC THINKING BY ALBA BASILE
Cosmopolitan, lively and welcoming, intellectual and original. This isn’t a description of London or Paris. It is Turin from 30th October-1st November 2026. It’s Artissima 2026. For the first time in a “spread-out” urban version and not just at the Oval. The theme this year - Fancy: A Flexible, Acrobatic Body - is inspired by the work of Martha Nussbaum, an American philosopher known for her work on ethical issues, the concept of the fragility of goodness, and the “intelligence of emotions.” For Nussbaum, imagination is a powerful tool for personal growth. Art guides us towards empathy, especially when it evolves beyond what Duchamp described as “retinal art,” artefacts that are nice to look at but don’t stimulate the mind.
Coferenza stampa, Gallerie d'Italia, Torino
The thirty-third edition of Artissima follows a well-established format, showcasing 183 galleries, 37 of which are exhibiting for the first time, reasserting the international vocation of the Piedmont capital that dates back to Eurodomus ’72, a cutting-edge exhibition of industrial design and interior architecture organised in May 1972 by Domus magazine under the supervision of Giò Ponti assisted by Cesare Maria Casati. This year’s show will feature galleries from South America and Asia, including Vohm from Seoul and Vanguard from Shanghai. The focus of attention will inevitably be Korea and China, now important players in more than just art.
Hyungji Park, Retired Brush Ⅰ, 2025, Oil on linen, 53.0xx45.5 cm, Courtesy
the Artist and Vohm, Seoul, Photo: Cha Zoo Yong
Focus on the East and the promoting of young people remain core features of Artissima. Anonymous Art Project is taking part for the second year with three artists. Launched in 2023 by the entrepreneur Hiroyuki Maki, the project supports emerging Japanese artists: the collective composed of Rhizomatiks, Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka and Sputniko! will be exhibiting in their own dedicated space.
Sputniko!, A
Sky of Infinite Wishes, 2026. Video still. Video installation, 12:19
The artists challenge our expectations and create unexpected experiences: discovering them is up to gallery owners and curators. Hence “The Curator Choice,” a hospitality program for international curators, who are invited to pick a gallery to be awarded a special mention, which adds to the numerous prizes handed out at every edition of Artissima. It’s well known as a major attraction, alongside the celebrating of the usual “rituals and myths” of the art world.
Present
Future, Matisse Mesnil, Untitled, 2026, Weld on steel, 170xx30 cm, Courtesy
Courtesy the artist and Romero Paprocki
So, if you’re in Turin over these three days, remember that, as New York journalist Bianca Bosker says in 'The Originality of Everything,' if you see someone wearing rather crumpled Issey Miyake clothes, they’re probably a curator. Alba Basile