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CALL TO ENTRY

We are kicking off the 8th edition of AUTOFOCUS, inviting entries to VANNI’s international competition dedicated to young European artists and creative talent with the support of GAI.

This year we are extending the project and doubling the creative categories. As well as our existing awards for best visual art and best performance art, we are adding awards for best video and best photography.

Competition entries are welcome in any artistic media, genre or technical application.

Prizes since 2009 were awarded to Federica Gonnelli, Giulia Bonora, Francesco Fossati, Cosimo Veneziano, duo Macchieraldo/Palasciano, Simone Bubbico, Irene Pittatore, Francesca Arri, Maarit Mustonen, Neza Agnes Momirski.

The prizesThe winning Visual Art Project will receive a purchase prize of 1.500 euro and will be on show in the Autofocus Project Space in the VANNI showroom in Piazza Carlo Emanuele II (floor plans attached) in Turin, Italy. The exhibition will be launched with a full catalogue during the week of the international art fairs, Artissima and Contemporary Art Turin, in November 2016.

The winning Performance Art will receive a production prize of 500 euro and must be performed in the outside space of the Autofocus Project Space, the beautiful Piazza Carlo Emanuele II (map and technical indications attached). The performance will take place during the Contemporary Art Nights of the international art fairs, Artissima and Contemporary Art Turin. A performance review will be inserted in the main catalogue that will also include details of the winning Exhibition Project.

The winning Video Project will be projected and promoted in three separate evening events during the week of Artissima and Contemporary Art Turin.

The winning Photography Project will be exhibited in the Autofocus Project Space during the Turin Book Fair in May 2017, accompanied by a full catalogue and an online gallery dedicated to the artist on the VANNI website.

Competition themeThe theme of the competition is reflected in its name, Autofocus. It plays on the concept of self-reflection; a personal perception of the world that surrounds the artist, filtered through subjective experience. There are no boundaries, a simple snapshot of the universe as seen through his or her mind’s eye. The competition intends to raise the visibility and value of the conceptual dimension of art creation without imposing restraints and recognising the imagination and technical capability of the artist. The artist is free to find his or her expression in different media and the winning projects and art works will be self-portraits reflecting their unique individuality.

EligibiltyEntries are invited from artists from 18 to 35 years old that are Italian residents or residents of member states of the European Union. The artists and their projects must respect the admission criteria of the Call to Entry.

The VANNI eyewear competition for young artists, under the aegis of GAI - www.vanniocchiali.com

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How to participateThe Call to Entry can be downloaded at www.issuu.com/vanni_eyewear which also includes the floor plans of the Autofocus Project Space.

Entries must be received by midnight of 10 September 2016.

Entries can be sent:- By WeTransfer to autofocus@vanniocchiali.com (access site www.wetransfer.com and follow the instructions)- Or on CD-ROM (PC format) , or USB stick and delivered to:VANNI OcchialiConcorso “Autofocus 8”C/o Nico-design,via Giacinto Collegno 46 bis,10138 – Torino – Italy

All entries must include1. A description of the visual art/performance/photography/video project with interpretation of the “Autofocus 8” theme;2. A technical specification of the entry including the title, technique and materials used, year of creation, and for the visual art project an exhibition plan for the space available for display;3. A Portfolio illustrating the candidate’s artistic work to date and a photo of the artist.

Competition entry is free of chargeApplicants from previous years can re-apply.Entry documentation will not be returned.The judge’s decision is final.Works of arts must be sent properly packaged in professional hard containers that can be re-used for returning art works at the end of the exhibition.

Treatment of personal dataAs per art.13 of D.Lgs. 196/2003, candidates’ personal data will be collected to assist the selection process. Personal data will likewise be processed by automatic means for the time strictly needed for the purpose in question. Data must be supplied so that participation eligibility may be checked. Failure to do so will result in exclusion from selection.

SelectionQuality, research and innovation are fundamental selection criteria.Entries will be selected by our independent curator, Olga Gambari.Each art category will only have one winner but 3 finalists will be exhibited in the online gallery on the VANNI website.The selection outcome will be made known via the VANNI eyewear and GAI websites by 21st September 2016.

The prize consists in

For the exhibition project• exhibiting the winning project at Autofocus Project Space, Turin, in November 2016, the inauguration corresponding with Contemporary Art Night, Artissima and Contemporary Art Turin Piemonte;• a purchase-award to the amount of 1,500 euros;• a catalogue illustrating the works on show (including the performance project), with a critical review, and a biographical profile of the winner;• transporting and insuring the works comprising the winning project;• accommodating the winning artist in Turin for one night at the inauguration;• a complimentary pair of VANNI sunglasses.

The VANNI eyewear competition for young artists, under the aegis of GAI - www.vanniocchiali.com

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For the performance• staging of the winning performance at the Autofocus Project Space during the Contemporary Art Nights of the international art fairs, Artissima and Contemporary Art Turin.;• a 500 euro contribution to staging the performance;• a catalogue to illustrate the performance project (together with the exhibition project winner), and biographical profiles of the competition winner;• accommodating the winning artist in Turin for the night of the performance;• a complimentary pair of VANNI sunglasses.

For the photography• exhibiting the winning project at the Autofocus Project Space during the Turin Book Fair in May 2017;• a full catalogue and an online gallery dedicated to the artist on the VANNI website;• transporting and insuring the works comprising the winning project;• accommodating the winning artist in Turin for the night of the exhibition;• a complimentary pair of VANNI sunglasses.

For the video• projecting the winning project in three separate evening events during the week of the international art fairs, Artissima and Contemporary Art Turin, in November 2016;• an online gallery dedicated to the artist on the VANNI website and a reference on the catalogue dedicated to the exhibition project and the performance;• accommodating the winning artist in Turin for one night;• a complimentary pair of VANNI sunglasses.

InformationFor further information, write to autofocus@vanniocchiali.com, www.facebook.com/autofocus.artegiovane/

Olga Gambari is an independent curator, art critic and journalist. Since 1996 she has written for the newspaper Repubblica, and since 2001 for the review Flash Art. She has directed the publishing venture www.artesera.it for the past five years. In 2013 she became artistic director of the contemporary art fair The Others in Turin. As a curator she has put on dozens of projects for private Italian venues and for public institutions.She has worked with many young artists, and also with Italian and international names that have made history (Matthew Barney, Kara Walker, Kiki Smith, Ana Mendieta, Masbedo). Central to her project conception is the idea of contemporary art as open-ended, hybrid experiment and as a method of relating.

The VANNI eyewear competition for young artists, under the aegis of GAI - www.vanniocchiali.com

GAI the Association for the Circuit of Young Italian Artists, is a non-profit association currently including 33 Administrations from leading municipal centres, provinces and regions. The aim is to support new generations of artists by schemes of promotion, production, international mobility and research. A network of offices and facilities across the regions of Italy enables GAI to document its activities, provide information, organise training schemes and display opportunities in liaison with the market, for the benefit of young artists professionally committed to the field of innovation, visual arts, design, theatre, dance, music, cinema/video and writing.

www.giovaniartisti.it

VANNI is a designer Turin eyewear brand that supports young emerging artists through the production, presentation and organization of contemporary art projects.

www.vanniocchiali.com

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The VANNI eyewear competition for young artists, under the aegis of GAI - www.vanniocchiali.com

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AUTOFOCUS FLOOR PLANSVISUAL ART PROJECT - PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT

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Piazza Carlo Emanuele II - Torino | Click here and surf on Google Maps

AUTOFOCUS FLOOR PLANSPERFORMANCE