What

C.Ar.D. Contemporary Art & Design is a biennial international art exhibition which began in 2014. It is spread across the hills of Piacenza and housed in abandoned factories and farms or prestigious historical homes (villas and castles) and, in any case, places of historical and artistic interest which are not normally accessible or easy to visit. These are opened to the public in a form that is enhanced by the comparison they provide between forgotten local situations and important contemporary works of art and design.

Who

Promoted by non-profit association Amici di C.Ar.D. , the exhibition draws on the expertise of a board of art consultants who guarantee the quality of the works selected: Cristina Baldacci, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, James Hyde, Barney Kulok and Franco Raggi. The operational team to whom we owe the concept, the creation of real and virtual networks and the management of each phase of the entire project consists of Paolo Baldacci, Giulia Pellegrino, Donatella Volonté and Daniela Volpi.

How

As well as the exhibitions, the C.Ar.D. Biennial – set up in partnership with public and private local associations – also foresees the setting up of workshops and temporary residences for artists who intend to produce site-specific works, as well as a collaborative crowd-funding project for the acquisition of a work to be permanently exhibited in the region.

Where

C.Ar.D. Contemporary Art & Design’s chosen location is an almost unspoilt hilly and mountainous geographical area south of the Po, straddling the Apennines of Emilia and Liguria. This area, rich in gastronomic specialities and wines and dotted with countless ancient works of art, today asks to be viewed from a fresh cultural perspective able to offer innovative art with a wide international reach.

Why

C.Ar.D. takes stock of the state of affairs of Italian and international art introducing art to the community in all of its forms- painting, sculpture, installation, photography, design- as well as bringing artists and public into direct contact with one another.