General Regulations

Art.1- Arte Studio, the Organizing Body, announces the Seventh edition of the “Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea”. The exhibition will take place in Florence, Italy, in the exhibition area of the Fortezza da Basso, from 5th to 13th December 2009. Cultural Institutions of the Artists’ Native Countries will be encouraged to collaborate in the selection of artists, in accordance with these regulations and any appropriate documents regulating collaboration between the Organizing Body and the “Cultural Bodies of the Nations”. (which for purposes of these regulations means artistic and cultural departments of Embassies, Consulates, Art Ministries, Universities or other public academies of art, cultural associations, and other public bodies which are concerned with artistic promotion.)

Art.2- The President nominates the International Jury to be composed of members chosen among Contemporary Art critics and historians of international reputation. The International Jury will assign the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” awards to the winning artists of the Biennial. The Jury, in assigning the awards, has the faculty to decide the representative categories of the awards to be assigned.

Art.3- The President, in collaboration with International Jury, with appropriate documentation, will nominate the members of the International Scientific Committee. The Committee will have the task of selecting the artists to be admitted to the exhibition. The President will inform each member of the Committee of the number of artists to be selected. Furthermore, an Internal Committee, composed of art experts, will contribute to the selection of artists to be admitted to the Biennale.

Art.4 - The Biennale accepts Artists who are known or still unknown at national or international level, therefore the International Scientific Committee, the Internal Committee and the Cultural Bodies of the Nations may also select “emerging” artists. Also, any artists who have been selected for a previous Biennale, whether or not they chose to participate, may participate in subsequent Biennials according to the terms of these regulations. The individual members of the International Scientific Committee, the Internal Committee and the Cultural Bodies of the Nations, who will receive appropriate documentation, must forward as soon as possible to the Management of the Biennale the complete list of the artists selected by them.

Art.5 – Artists can seek a sponsor in their country of origin; for that purpose the artist can request a personalized invitation or formal request to be sent from Arte Studio to the Cultural Bodies or other possible sponsors (maximum 5 per Artist) that have already shown interest. The Biennale of Florence is dedicated to providing opportunities to artists of talent and its organization is based, almost exclusively, upon the collective effort of qualified artists and their sponsors. The Biennale appreciates the collaboration and contribution of private and public sponsors and publishes their names and logos in the first pages of the general catalogue and in the web site.

Art.6 – Arte Studio will send the necessary technical and general documents to the selected artists for their participation. The documents include among others a confirmation of participation form with all the necessary instructions.

Art.7- Works representing all techniques, artistic trends and currents are considered: painting, sculpture, graphic arts and drawing, mixed media, installation, photography and digital art. The International Jury, composed of eminent scholars of Contemporary Art, is responsible for assigning awards. The Jury reserves the right to divide works into appropriate categories and sub-categories, and will assign awards at its discretion. The Jury has the right to assign fourth and fifth prizes ex aequo.

In whichever field the artist operates, it is possible to choose one of the following solutions:
A : An exhibition wall 3 meters long and 2.5 meters high (paintings, photography, digital prints, etc.) In between the artworks (from 1 to 3) there must be a minimum of 10 cms of distance.
B: A floor exhibition space of 6 square meters (for sculpture, installations, etc.)
C: Video or Projections of digital art on large screen.
The artist must indicate the space selected in the registration form.
Photographers can exhibit up to 6 artworks already on panels or frames. Digital Art is all the work that has been produced and generated by a technological support and not done manually. (animations are included in digital art category). Video is all the work produce by filming with or without editing.

Art 8 - In an exhibition space, up to a maximum of three works may be shown. Works to be exhibited on a wall may not exceed a total weight of 40 kg. For security reasons paintings should be transported preferably without glass. Sculptural works (Space B) must not exceed 80 kg weight and must not be more than 2.50 meters high including base.. For heavier artworks contact the secretariat. Photographers can exhibit a maximum of 6 works, light enough to be fixed to the panel with two-sided adhesive.

THE USE OF NAILS OR SCREWS OR OTHER ITEMS WHICH MAY DAMAGE EXHIBITION WALLS IS FORBIDDEN. The organizer has provided for the materials necessary to attach works of art to the walls. The location of art works and the artistic itineraries of the exhibition are at the discretion of the Director of the Biennale. The exhibition areas offer standard conditions which provide exhibiting panels and floor space with adequate lighting; for particular requirements please inform the management.

Art.9- Artists must confirm within the establish dates their participation by sending to Arte Studio the Artist Registration Form together with payment of the Artist's Share to participate in the Biennale. The fee may be paid in two instalments, at the option of the Artist .Artists seeking sponsorship must pay the Artist's Share to reserve their participation. Should a sponsor subsequently undertake to pay an Artist's Share in its entirety and the sponsor pays that Share directly to the Biennale, Arte Studio will promptly (180 days maximum) refund any amount overpaid by the artist.

Art. 10 – The participation fee covers a small part of the costs to rent the space and organize the show. It also serves to prevent artists from cancelling their participation at any moment and compromising the quality of the Biennale. Shares paid are NOT refundable for any reason. Failure to attend the Biennial, or to pay the second instalment, does not entitle the artist to any reimbursement.

Art.11- The shares paid by the Artists will be used to pay the following services:
Design, editing and printing of the General Catalogue, including a full-page colour photo of one work and a biography of the artist. One copy of the catalogue will be given to every artist during exhibition and to the members of the Jury, Committee and representatives of the cultural and political world that collaborated with the organization. Arte Studio works accurately in the catalogue, however Arte Studio declines any responsibility in case of mistakes. Production costs of the prizes (medals and diplomas). One DVD for each artist, the video contains the most important moments of the Biennale. Rental of the exhibition space. Rental of the exhibition structures. Halogen lighting to illuminate the works, and chairs (one for each artist), fire security guards, pavilion maintenance, basic medical assistance, cleaning costs, security guards, phone operators, Hostess assistance during the exhibition, electricity and electricity assistance for basic maintenance, setting up exhibition structures, cost of decorative furnishing and floral arrangements. Publicity, including posters, banners for publicity and their installation. Advertisements in national and international newspapers and magazines, press office organization. Administrative costs, including secretarial, postage, printing, regulation and documents printing. Translations of documents and letters in 5 languages. Counter services. Maintenance of the website. Insurance cost for the artworks during the exhibition as more particularly specified under art.12. Congresses, conferences, roundtables, lectures and concerts during Biennale. Inauguration cocktail and Gala dinner concert for all the present artists at the end of the exhibition.

ART.12- Arte Studio insures the works exhibited in the Biennale at the Exhibition Space against fire, theft and civil responsibility only during the period of the exhibition, for a total value of €700,000. Each artist is responsible to insure his/her works against theft or other damage to the works during shipping and handling including transportation (round trip), storage, and while being transported from the warehouse to the exhibition space. Every policy must contain a clause waiving the right of bringing any claims against the exhibition centre, Arte Studio, and the other exhibitors. Uninsured exhibitors will be admitted to the Biennial ONLY if they agree to be personally responsible for the responsibilities set forth herein.

Art. 13 -Artists are not required to be present during the Biennale. Costs for transportation of the works, including insurance in transit and in the warehouse before and after the Biennale, are in addition to, and not included in, the Artist's share to participate in the Biennale. The Technical Regulations - Part Two contains the instructions for and terms and conditions concerning shipping of the works and also detailed explanation regarding the reason why it is extremely important not to use express couriers for sending your artwork but a shipping company that has experience in managing Italian Fine Arts Customs. These will be sent no later than July 31, 2007, by e-mail. Confirmation of receipt of this document is essential.

ART.14 The general public is invited to attend the Biennial. Arte Studio will encourage public attendance through publicity and advertising of the Biennale. Arte Studio may charge an entrance fee to the public.

ART.15- Because of the international character and size of the Biennial, these General Regulations are subject to modification. Participants will be informed of any changes by letter or other circulars regarding the relationship between Arte Studio, the Artists, the critics and other collaborators in the exhibition. Arte Studio reserves the right to adapt these Regulations as particular circumstances warrant or to change the place and / or date of the Biennial, giving notice to all interested parties.

ART.16- Any controversies will be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction in the city of Florence, according to the laws of Italy. In conformity with Art.1341 of the Italian Civil Code, the undersigned expressly approves the conditions set forth at paragraphs, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16 above. In the eventuality of mistakes in translations, the Italian version is valid.

The General Regulations must be signed by the artist and returned to Arte Studio together with the Artist Participation Form Please be advised that the offices of Arte Studio are closed during the month of August 2008 and 2009.