Ermenegildo Zegna Group to Launch ZegnArt Public in India

ZEGNART comprises various projects implemented by the Ermenegildo Zegna Group in Italy and abroad in the field of visual arts, in collaboration with artists, curators, institutions and cultural institutions. Designed as an independent commitment that is both complementary to and a continuation of the activities of Fondazione Zegna, ZegnArt is aligned with company's strong participation in every phase of the design and implementation of each individual initiative, with the aim of creating a virtuous circle able to forge a meeting point between two worlds – that of business and that of culture.

ZEGNART PUBLIC looks at contemporary art as an experience capable of stimulating the comparison between cultures, fostering the exchange of knowledge and resources and, as a model of education, supporting the growth of ethical and civic values. The public space can be experienced in different ways: it is a place of negotiation and exchange, a space of resistance and debate. The mission of ZegnArt Public is to explore this range of possibilities in social and cultural contexts that are very different from one another. It is a long-term project that functions as an annual format of commissions and residencies based on the principle of dialogue and mutual exchange with developing countries and their institutions.

ZEGNART PUBLIC / INDIA will be launched in collaboration with the Dr. Bhau Daji Ladh Museum. The partnership between the Ermenegildo Zegna Group and the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum has been set up as a new and innovative model of public-private collaboration that, in India in particular, is being established for the first time for the support of contemporary art. ZegnArt Public/India is the first episode of a long-term program that calls for the annual activation, in an emerging country, of a dual path: the onsite construction of a work of public art commissioned from an artist in mid-career from within the host country and created in collaboration with a local institution of international profile; the financing of a residency offered to a young artist from the host country who is invited to spend a research period in Italy. Public operates as a format based on the principle of dialog and reciprocal exchange. Through the ideal combination between the commissioning of a public artwork and a residency program, Public was conceived with a three-year operational calendar, in which India is the protagonist of the next episode, followed by Turkey (September 2013) and Brazil (2014).

THE PUBLIC ART COMMISSION: The artist who has been selected as the protagonist of the first edition of ZegnArt Public, launched in collaboration with the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai, is Reena Kallat (Delhi, 1973). The art installation created by Reena Kallat, produced entirely by the Ermenegildo Zegna Group and slated to be donated to the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, will be open to the public from 3rd March 2013. The presentation of the work will be accompanied by a schedule of educational workshops and studios developed by Ms. Kallat for the museum. The jury which selected Ms. Kallat's submission for the first episode of ZegnArt Public included Gildo Zegna and Anna Zegna, on behalf of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group; Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Jyotindra Jain and Minal Bajaj on behalf of the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and Andrea Zegna (project coordinator, ZegnArt).

THE RESIDENCY: In addition to ZegnArt's public artwork commissions, every edition of ZegnArt Public will offer a residency grant to support a young artist under the age of 32 from the chosen country for the project in Italy. ZegnArt's partner for the residency grant is the MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome and the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai. Sahej Rahal is the artist who has been chosen for the residency project in for 2012.

ABOUT ZEGNART: ZegnArt is structured in three main areas, each characterized by its own mission, by a precise area of intervention and by a different curatorial system:

• Public
• Special Projects
• Art in Global Stores

www.zegnart.com

www.bdlmuseum.org