Arts&Culture

Lubi, “fear and desire”

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9 editions, 107 artists 369 works, 5,4 km of paper. LUBI, the Biennial International Paper Exhibition (Lucca, Italy) launched a call for tender for the next edition scheduled in 2020, which will highlight and put in touch artists from all over the world: the most topical artworks  on the Paper Art scene.

LUBI – Lucca Biennale is the first event in the world dedicated to Paper as an artistic and architectural expression, held every two years in the city of Lucca, in Tuscany (Italy). It started in 2004, with a view to promoting tradition, culture, sustainability and innovation; today it has reached the X edition. Artists, performers, designers and architects are thus invited to participate in the calls for tender to showcase their work in August and September 2020.

During those months, the city is transformed and dressed in paper, inside and out. In the case of the outdoor contest, there will be artists in residence for the time necessary to complete their works, with costs of travel, board and lodging, materials and technical assistance provided: a truly unique opportunity to connect with other artists who work with paper on a small, medium or large scale, offering a chance to work together, discuss, share experiences and take part in other exhibition, by establishing contacts with galleries and collectors. In this regard, on the occasion of the Network Days the Biennale is pleased to welcome all new artists to the Paper Art Community.

Network Days: what’s new

The network days are an occasion for exchange and growth on the artistic, philosophical, economic scene, which goes beyond the paper art movement. Artists and professionals in the culture sector, as well as architects, academics and various dignitaries will meet to discuss and exchange views on various subjects with interesting results.

Focusing on the emotions of our century

“Fear and Desire” is the topic underlying all the events and exhibitions in the 10th Edition of Lucca Biennale, as well as the concepts on which artists, performers, designers and architects will be invited to reflect in order to talk about art and society.

Two highly significant topics. Fear has always had an important role: guiding us, on a small scale, and depicting human history, on a large scale. Through fear, humans understand and recognise their limits, choosing whether to challenge, overcome them, of be overwhelmed. Sometimes fear prevents us from experiencing new emotions, on other times it is a survival instinct.

Can fear be synonymous with self-preservation, but also with progress? A limitation, but also a way to develop? When can fear encourage a critical approach? Can desire help us when fear is a limitation; can desire become an excess which fear is able to stop?

On the other hand, desire is necessary; it is the basis for inspiration. Desire means motivation, movement, search for pleasure. Even though it usually has a positive meaning, desire hides a dark side; desires – real or induced – can shape the aspirations, prospects, future of humanity, the community and contemporary societies.

Focus on a guest country: Japan

Starting from last year’s edition, the Biennale has inaugurated a focus on a guest country; last year it was China, as “motherland of papermaking”; this time the focus will be on Japan, the second country acknowledged for its enormous papermaking tradition at artistic level.

 The 2020 Contest

The invitation is thus open to artists from all over the world to express their voice through paper. The purpose of the Biennale is to provide inputs and opportunities for artists who decide to put themselves at stake, “educating to beauty”, but first and foremost to break away from patterns and open up new perspectives.

The contest is open to artists, architects, designers, and its subject is selecting projects for monumental artworks and otherwise, which involve the use of paper, enhancing its uniqueness and inventive, special and ground-breaking use. The final selection will lead to exhibiting the art and showcasing performances in major locations and squares in the city of Lucca, for the duration of the Biennale; at the end of the event, the outdoor contest work will still be exhibited and accessible to visitors  on the ramparts of the walls outside the city, becoming part of the permanent collection of the Biennale.

Complete requirements for admission

All art forms are allowed, however there are some common requirements for the indoor e outdoor contests, while others are specific for the individual section. For example, one primary requirement is – of course – using paper or cardboard and its by- products; the contest is open to any artist older than eighteen.

For the outdoor section, each artist may submit, no later than 23:59 of 14 December 2019 (GMT +1), a maximum of two projects, filling out two separate forms; it is possible to take part individually or in a group of no more than two people.

For the indoor section, on the other hand, you can enter a minimum of one artwork up to a maximum of 20. Also allowed are works of Video Art and/or Digital Graphics, for example videos, films, art produced using animation techniques on any digital or analogue supports.

How to enter

If you wish to enter the contest, please download and fill out the registration form you can find on the website www.luccabiennale.com on the page “concorso 2020 / bandi”.

For the outdoor section, the deadline is no later than 23:59 of 14 December 2019 (GMT +1), while for the indoor section, no later than 23:59 of 31 January 2020 (GMT +1).

Outdoor contest

The outdoor contest will take part in three stages: presentation of the projects, shortlisting of finalists, production of the artworks. For phase one (project presentation), applicants are required to submit the registration form with the project concept, no later than 23:59 of 14 December 2019 (GMT +1). There are no limits as to the presentation format of the project concept (bound folders, sketches, photographs, video, etc.), however it is compulsory to specify the volume sizes (recommended maximum 6x6x6 m, even though larger-scale projects will also be considered); how the project concept matches the general topic of the Biennale; an finally a suggestion about the installation site for the artwork. The names of the artists shortlisted (no more than 60) will be published no later than 18 January 2020.

As regards phase two (shortlisting of finalists), after the first selection it is advisable to consult with the technical committee of the Biennale. The shortlisted artists will be expected to submit a feasibility study, also including a scale model which will not be returned (minimum scale 1:20) no later than 6 March 2020, as detailed in the entry form. The number of shortlisted artists will range from a minimum of six to a maximum of 10, and the names of selected finalists will be published no later than the 15th of April 2020.

For phase three (production of the artworks), the finalists will need to send their final executive project no later than the 10th of May 2020, following the specifications in the call for tender, and the organising committee will host the artists in the city of Lucca to complete their artworks in July 2020.

Of course, a final executive project will need to be produced, consisting of a technical drawing of the work and its physical location, the final list of materials necessary to complete it, the final list of costs, time required to complete it, assembling process (means required, assembling complexity); last but not least it is necessary to make sure that the work will be waterproof and fire-resistant, without any points of possible danger for persons.

The panel, consisting of the President and Vice-president of the Biennale, two international sculptors, one representative of the Italian national Council of Architects, and one from the paper industry, will meet on 18 January 2020 to longlist the pre-finalists, and no later than 15 April 2020, to shortlist the finalists.

Indoor contest timeline

The artistic direction, no later than 31st March 2020, will inform by e-mail and on the website about the shortlisted artists, and by 15 May 2020 about the finalists in the contest.

Works must be sent to the exhibition area no later than 15th July 2020.

If you are interested in selling your work during the exhibition, in agreement with the artists, the Biennale will serve as an art gallery.