Eugenio Viola
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Eugenio Viola (
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, 1975) is an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...
and
curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...
based in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
. Viola is the current Chief Curator of the Bogota Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO),
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. He is a prolific contributor of
Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ × 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notably ...
. Previously, he was curator of the Italian Pavilion at the 59th Biennale. He is also part of the jury and decision committee of the
Julius Baer Julius Baer (; né Isaac Baer; born 2 January 1857 – 9 March 1922) was a German-born Swiss banker, businessman and philanthropist. Baer was the founder and namesake of Julius Baer Group, and the patriarch of the Baer family. Early life and ...
Prize for Latin American women artists. As a thinker, Eugenio Viola is one "of the most talented and inspirational young people who are driving forward the art world today” as stated by the British art magazine ''Apollo'' in 2014. He was voted the best Italian curator in 2016 and 2019 by the Italian art magazine ''Artribune''.


Life and work

Born in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, Viola received his BA in “
Cultural Heritage Conservation Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
” from the University Suor Orsola Benincasa in Naples (2001), his MA in “Organization and Communication of the Visual Arts” from the
Academy of Fine Arts of Brera The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera (), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan's main public mu ...
, Milan (2002), and his Ph.D. in “ Methods and Methodologies of Archaeological and Historical-Artistic Research” from the
University of Salerno The University of Salerno () (in acronym UNISA) is a university located in Fisciano and in Baronissi, Italy. Its main campus is located in Fisciano while the Faculty of Medicine is located in Baronissi. It is organized in ten faculties. H ...
(2010). Viola is the current Chief Curator of The Bogota Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO), a leading Colombian institution. His inaugural project there was the first institutional solo exhibition of work by
Teresa Margolles Teresa Margolles (born 1963 in Culiacán) is a Mexican conceptual artist, photographer, videographer, and performance artist. As an artist she researches the social causes and consequences of death.Prince Claus Fund (June 2012''Report from the 20 ...
''(Estorbo, 2020)'' in Colombia, which opened in March 2019. During his tenure, he has commissioned major projects by
Dor Guez Dor Guez Munayer () is a Jerusalemite artist of Christian Palestinian and Tunisian Jewish origin, founder of The Christian Palestinian Archive, and the director of SeaPort Residency. Biography Dor Guez Munayer was born in Baka, Jerusalem. On ...
(''Catástrofe'', 2021),
Luz Lizarazo Luz may refer to: People and fictional characters * Luz (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name, nickname or surname, including Spanish and Portuguese * Luz (cartoonist), pen name of French cartoonist Réna ...
(''Cicatrices'', 2021–2022),
Voluspa Jarpa Voluspa Jarpa Saldías (Rancagua, 1971) is a Chilean painter and visual artist of the 1990s who has been involved in painting, installations, and sculpture. She studied for a degree in art at the University of Chile. Her work is characterized b ...
(''Sindemia'', 2021–2022) and Miguel Angel Rojas (''Regreso a la Maloca'', 2021) among other artists. He curates at the MAMBO ‘The Julius Baer Art Prize for Latin American Female Artists’, a biennial award initiated by
Julius Baer Julius Baer (; né Isaac Baer; born 2 January 1857 – 9 March 1922) was a German-born Swiss banker, businessman and philanthropist. Baer was the founder and namesake of Julius Baer Group, and the patriarch of the Baer family. Early life and ...
and the Bogotá Museum of Modern Art – MAMBO, the first prize of its kind held in
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
. The award winner of the inaugural edition of the prize, Chilean artist Voluspa Jarpa (
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
, 1971), portrayed a necessary memory of the social unrest that occurred in both Chile and Colombia in late 2019. Her project ''Sindemia'' provided a multifaceted approach to the urgency for documentation and visibility of human rights violations during the protests. ''Sindemia'' will tour at the Gabriela Mistral Center (GAM) in
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
, in March 2023, and at the MUNTREF, Center of Contemporary Art (Hotel of Immigrants),
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, in July 2023. From 2017 to 2019, Viola was the Senior Curator at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), in
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, where his curatorial practice was focused on cultivating and strengthening the institution's relationship with the Asia-Pacific region. He presented the first Australian solo exhibition of
Kimsooja Kimsooja (; born 1957) was born in Daegu, South Korea. Kimsooja is a multi-disciplinary conceptual artist who travels between her three homes and places of work in New York City, Paris, and Seoul. In 1980 Kim graduated with a B.F.A in Painting ...
(''Zone of Nowhere'', 2018), in which the work extended beyond the walls of PICA and into the streets of Perth, where iterations of ''To Breathe – The Flags'' (2012-2018) materialized as site specific installations around the city. Viola has also been instrumental in a promising partnership between PICA and the
Taipei Fine Arts Museum The Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM; ) is a museum in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. It is in the Taipei Expo Park. The museum first opened on August 8, 1983, at the former site of the United States Taiwan Defense Command. It was the first ...
as part of the City of Perth and Taipei Residency Exchange Program. From 2009 to 2016, he held a curatorial position at MADRE, the Contemporary Art Museum of Naples, Italy. From 2013 to 2016, as Curator at Large, he was responsible for the research and development of MADRE Museum's collection (''Performing a collection'' project). He also co-curated the first Italian large-scale exhibitions of
Boris Mikhailov Boris Mikhailov may refer to: * Boris Mikhailov (Comintern), representative of the Communist International to the US in 1929-30 * Boris Mikhailov (photographer) (born 1938), fine art photographer * Boris Mikhailov (ice hockey) Boris Petrovich M ...
and
Francis Alÿs Francis Alÿs (born 1959, Antwerp) is a Belgian-born, Mexico-based artist. His work emerges in the interdisciplinary space of art, architecture, and social practice. In 1986, Alÿs left behind his as an architect and relocated to Mexico City, ...
, retrospective exhibitions devoted to
Vettor Pisani Vettor Pisani (132413 August 1380) was a Venetian admiral. Career He was in command of the Venetian fleet in 1378 during the war against the Genoese, whom he defeated off Capo d'Anzio; subsequently he recaptured Cattaro, Sebenico and Arbe ...
and Giulia Piscitelli, and a complex
Daniel Buren Daniel Buren (born 25 March 1938, in Boulogne-Billancourt) is a French conceptual artist, painter, and sculptor. He has won numerous awards including the Golden Lion for best pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1986), the International Award for ...
’s site-specific project. From 2009 to 2012, he was the Curator of the Project Room, a space dedicated to young and experimental artists organizing a network residence and exhibition program in partnership with institutions and art organizations from the Middle East (''Transit'' project), and an annual performance festival named ''Corpus. Art in Action'' (2009-2012), where he presented site-specific performances of
Ron Athey Ron Athey (born December 16, 1961) is an American performance artist associated with body art and with extreme performance art. He has performed in the U.S. and internationally (especially in the UK and Europe). Athey's work explores challenging ...
,
Angela Barretta Angela may refer to: People * Angela (given name), a feminine name, includes a list of people with the name * Angela (surname), an Italian surname, includes a list of people with the name * Angela (enslaved woman) (fl. 1619–1625), an African ...
,
Tobias Bernstrup Tobias Bernstrup (born 17 July 1970 in Gothenburg, Sweden) is a Swedish contemporary artist working with videos, interactive works, live performances and electronic music. He received an MFA from Royal College University of Fine Arts Stockholm ...
,
Andrea Cusumano Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...
, Kira O’Reilly,
Jamie Shovlin Jamie Shovlin (born 1978) is a British conceptual artist. He staged his first exhibition in 2004, at Riflemaker in London, basing it on what he claimed were the drawings of a disappeared schoolgirl called Naomi V. Jelish. He supported this clai ...
and Lustfaust, Milica Tomic, Maria José Arjona,
Tania Bruguera Tania Bruguera (born 1968 in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban artist and activist who focuses on installation and performance art. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she works as head of media and performance at Harvard University. Bruguera has ...
,
Regina José Galindo Regina José Galindo (born August 27, 1974 Guatemala City) is a Guatemalan artist who specializes in performance art. She is currently one of the main artists working in this medium in Latin America, and is also a poet. Her work is characterized b ...
,
Teresa Margolles Teresa Margolles (born 1963 in Culiacán) is a Mexican conceptual artist, photographer, videographer, and performance artist. As an artist she researches the social causes and consequences of death.Prince Claus Fund (June 2012''Report from the 20 ...
, among the others. He curated the Italian Pavilion at the 59th
Venice Biennial The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...
, ''Storia della Note e Destino delle Comete'' istory of Night and Destiny of Comets where for the first time in the history of the Italian Pavilion, was presented the work of a single artist, in response to his appointment he declares “A decisive proposal, equating national participation alike other countries. It will be a visionary, courageous project, as is in Tosatti's chords and also in mine.
Gian Maria Tosatti Gian is a given name of Italian origin. It is a shortened version of Giovanni (name), Giovanni, another name of Italian origin. Notable people Notable people whose name is now typically expressed as Gian include: * Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian pai ...
has an eccentric background. He has created powerful installations that combine many media, a bit like the synthesis of the arts. ''History of Night and Destiny of Comets'' is, for both of us, to date, the most important chapter in this tale, in which our stories once again intertwine and confront each other. This project also cannot fail to take into account our uncertain, metapandemic present”. As a guest curator, Viola has worked extensively. He curated the Estonian Pavilion at the 56th
Venice Biennial The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...
(
Jaanus Samma Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System, or JAANUS, is an online dictionary of Japanese architecture and art terms compiled by Dr. Mary Neighbour Parent. It contains approximately eight thousand entries. It is searchable in both English and ...
, ''Not Suitable for Work. A Chairman’s Tale'', 2015), whose iteration at the Museum of the Occupations in
Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
was listed by the American Hyperallergic amongst the top 15 exhibitions around the world in 2016. Other major projects include:
Regina José Galindo Regina José Galindo (born August 27, 1974 Guatemala City) is a Guatemalan artist who specializes in performance art. She is currently one of the main artists working in this medium in Latin America, and is also a poet. Her work is characterized b ...
, ''Mechanisms of Power'' (
Frankfurter Kunstverein The Frankfurter Kunstverein e. V. in Frankfurt am Main is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of contemporary art and culture. It is one of the oldest German art associations. History The Frankfurter Kunstverein was founded in ...
,
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, 2016); ''The Prince and Queens'' by Karol Radziszewski (CoCA. Center of Contemporary Art, Torun, Poland,2014); Mark Raidpere's ''The Damage'' (EKKM-
Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia The Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (, abbreviated EKKM) is a self-established, artist-run contemporary art museum in Tallinn, Estonia. EKKM was founded in 2006 by Anders Härm, Elin Kard, Neeme Külm and Marco Laimre. As an unconventional for ...
,
Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
, 2013); the first iteration of the pioneering
Marina Abramović Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, the relationship between the performer and audience, the limit ...
’s ''The Abramović Method'' ( PAC - Contemporary Art Pavilion,
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, 2012); and the most comprehensive retrospective of Orlan to date, ''Le Récit'' ( Musée d’art moderne and contemporain de Saint Etienne Métropole,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, 2007). He has curated over 70 exhibitions internationally.


Writings and criticism

He has edited over 50 catalogues and books and contributed to numerous international publications. He is a scholar in theories and practices related to
performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...
and
Body Art Body art is art in which the artist uses their human body as the primary medium.Oxford Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art, Oxford University, p. 88 Emerging from the context of Conceptual Art during the 1970s, Body art may include performanc ...
. On this subject, he has extensively lectured in Italy and abroad. He has published several
essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
s, and he has edited the monographs on
Regina José Galindo Regina José Galindo (born August 27, 1974 Guatemala City) is a Guatemalan artist who specializes in performance art. She is currently one of the main artists working in this medium in Latin America, and is also a poet. Her work is characterized b ...
(Ed. Skira, Milan, 2014),
Hermann Nitsch Hermann Nitsch (29 August 1938 – 18 April 2022) was an Austrian contemporary artist and composer. His art encompassed wide-scale Performance art, performances incorporating theater, multimedia, rituals and acted violence. He was a leading figu ...
(Ed. Morra, Naples, 2013),
Marina Abramović Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, the relationship between the performer and audience, the limit ...
(Ed. 24 Ore Cultura, Milan, 2012), and Orlan (Ed. Charta, Milan, 2007). He collaborates on a regular basis with ''
Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ × 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notably ...
'' (USA) and ''Arte'' (Italy). His writings also appeared in several Italian art magazines such as
Flash Art ''Flash Art'' is a contemporary art magazine, and an Italian and international publishing house. Originally published bilingually, both in Italian and in English, since 1978 is published in two separate editions, Flash Art Italia (Italian) and ...
,
Segno Segno is a village in North Western Italy in the region of Liguria. It belongs to the Municipality of Vado Ligure. Its countryside landscape makes it a popular venue for outdoor sports including mountain biking, cross-country running, trail and c ...
, Arte e Critica, and the Spanish Exit Express. He is among the contributors of ''Quaderni d'arte italiana'', the institutional magazine of
Quadriennale di Roma The Rome Quadriennale (Italian: La Q''uadriennale di Roma'', also called in English the ''Rome Quadrennial'') is the Italian national institution entrusted with the task of researching about and promoting Italian contemporary art. It is a found ...
. He is a member of IKT (“ International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art”); and he is on several awards international committees and panels.


Selected edited books and monographs

* Storia della Note e Destino delle Comete, Padiglione Italia, Padiglione Arte 2022. G.M. Tosatti, E. Viola (edited by), 2022, ed. Treccani, Roma, Italia. * Unhallowed Arts, L. Wilson, O. Catts, E. Viola (edited by), 2018, Perth, Australia. * Jacobus Capone, Forgiving Night For Day. S. Pereira, A. Varano, E.Viola (edited by). “Jacobus Capone. Forgiving Night For Day”. 2017, PICA Press, Perth, Australia. * Gian Maria Tosatti. Sette Stagioni dello Spirito. E. Viola (edited by). 2017, Mondadori Electa. * Vettor Pisani. Eroica/antieroica. Una monografia * L. Cherubini, A. Viliani, E. Viola, “Vettor Pisani. Eroica/antieroica. Una monografia” 2016, Mondadori Electa. * Intrigantes Incertitudes, L. Hegyi, E. Viola (edited by) “Intrigantes incertitudes”, 2016, Fage editions, Lyon, France. * Jaanus Samma. Not Suitable for Work, A Chairman's Tale, M. Arusoo, K. Moss, M. Kangro, S. Mogutin, R. Põldsam, R. Taavetti, E. Viola (edited by). 2015, Sternberg Press, Berlin, Germany. * Sven Marquardt: Götterdämmerung. The Twilight of the Gods, E. Debandi, E. Viola (edited by), 2015, Skira, Italy. * Regina José Galindo. Estoy viva, D. Sileo, E. Viola (edited by), Skira Editore, Milan, 2014. * Hermann Nitsch, 135. Aktion, A. Tolve, E. Viola (edited by), Ed. Morra, Naples, 2013. * DAMAGE: Mark Raidpere, A. Härm, E. Viola (edited by), 2013, Lugemik, Tallinn. * Marina Abramović. The Italian Works, M. Abramović, R. Barilli, A. Bonito Oliva, G. Celant, G.Dorfles, A. Tolve, A.Vettese, D. Sileo, E. Viola (edited by), 2012, 24 Ore Cultura, Milan. * Marina Abramović. The Abramović Method, M. Abramović, C. Bertola, L.Cherubini, A. Rispoli, D. Sileo, E. Viola (edited by), 2012, 24 Ore Cultura, Milan. *


References


External links

* http://www.madrenapoli.it/en/ * about 'Per_forming a collection' project: http://www.madrenapoli.it/en/exhibitions/per_forming-a-collection-1/; http://www.madrenapoli.it/en/exhibitions/per_forming-a-collection-2/; http://www.madrenapoli.it/en/exhibitions/per_forming-a-collection-intermezzo/; http://www.madrenapoli.it/en/exhibitions/per_forming-a-collection-3/; http://www.madrenapoli.it/en/exhibitions/per_formare-una-collezione-4/ * about Daniel Buren at Madre museum: http://www.madrenapoli.it/en/exhibitions/daniel-buren-come-un-gioco-da-bambini/; http://www.madrenapoli.it/en/exhibitions/daniel-buren-axer-desaxer-lavoro-in-situ-2015-madre-napoli-2/ * http://www.eugenioviola.com source for a list of all the artists curated by E.Viola * http://www.orlan.eu/exhibitions/ * http://www.tentrotterdam.nl/en/show/tent-academy-awards-2015/ * http://www.pacmilano.it/en/ source for information about the exhibition * https://web.archive.org/web/20150909213455/http://www.apollo-magazine.com/40-under-40-europe-thinkers/ * http://www.fondazionemorra.org about Gian Maria Tosatti's project curated by E.Viola "Le sette stagioni dello spirito" * http://www.artribune.com/2014/12/lavanzata-della-nuova-scena-polacca-eugenio-viola-cura-la-personale-di-karol-radziszewski-al-coca-di-torun-nuovo-step-per-il-focus-poland-project/ About Karol Radziszewski's exhibition curated by E. Viola in Torun * Eugenio Viola interviewed by Francesca Pietropaolo in "Brooklyn Rail" (April 2022): https://brooklynrail.org/2022/04/art/Eugenio-Viola-with-Francesca-Pietropaolo {{DEFAULTSORT:Viola, Eugenio 1975 births Living people Italian art critics University of Salerno alumni Male actors from Naples Italian art curators